from Déchanet's letters to Thomas Merton on Contemplation

DéchanetMeditation/Contemplation
Written By Dana Moore

“La contemplation c’est la Croix, l’isolement, l’incompréhension; ce sont ces mains largements tendues pour recevoir de manu Domini tout ce qu’il lui plaira. Les Maîtres antiques peuvent nous aider (car ils ont connu cela) mais à nous de faire la synthèse de tant de contradictions qui viennent peupler notre vie.” Jean-Marie Déchanet o.s.b. à Thomas Merton o.c.s.o. 12 mars 196

"So Father, contemplation is the Cross, isolation, lack of understanding; these are the hands stretched wide to receive from the manu Domini all that it pleases him to give. The old teachers can help us (for they knew this) but it is up to us to make a synthesis of the many contradictions which come to fill up our lives." Jean-Marie Déchanet o.s.b. to Thomas Merton o.c.s.o. on March 12, 196

Dana Moore

Dana Moore, MAR, MA, LPCC, leads the Fr. Déchanet Christian Yoga retreat in the French Alps and various master classes on Fr. Déchanet’s Christian Yoga. He is the conservator of the Fr. Déchanet literary archives and editor of his writings.

Previous

Breathing and the Valley of the Dry Bones
Next

Hungry Bodies, Hungry Souls: What does Yoga have to offer to Christians?