The True Self

I am reading James Martin's My Life with the Saints, a very engaging spiritual autobiography.

I would almost describe it as a page turner. (Just before starting it I returned a novel to the library after reading only 20 dreary pages.) Chapter 4 "The True Self" begins with a quote from Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation: "For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self." This reinforces my reflection a few days ago about each weed being exactly itself for the beauty of the whole scene.

Sometimes when we look at ourselves we don't like what we see. God made us who and what we are to make our part of the world beautiful. Acknowledging who and what we are and making the most of our gifts is the way to holiness.