Detachment from things does not mean setting up a contradiction between 'things' and 'God' as if God were another 'thing' and as if His creatures were His rivals. We do not detach ourselves from things in order to attach ourselves to God, but rather we become detached from ourselves in order to see and use all things in and for God.
–Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, p. 21.
P.S.--Having told me to write a dissertation on someone who wrote in English, for the sake of speed, Fr. Fahey told me at our year-opener party today that Thomas Merton was totally off-limits for dissertations: too much written already, and too much pain getting copyright permissions. So much for that easy option....
