Isaiah (58:9b-14) makes God’s message quite clear. Oppression, false accusation, and malicious speech bring darkness and gloom. In a more positive vein, bestowing bread on the hungry and satisfying the afflicted bring the light of God. Gloom shall become like the brightness of midday.

On May 13, 1961, Merton wrote in his journal:

The great work of sunrise again today.

The aweful solemnity of it. The sacredness. Unbearable without prayer and worship. I mean unbearable if you really put everything aside and see what is happening! Many, no doubt, are vaguely aware that it is dawn, but they are protected from the solemnity of it by the neutralizing worship of their own society, their own world, in which the sun no longer rises and sets. Continue reading →