This is from Thomas Merton’s book What is Contemplation? pages 12-13: “The fact remains that contemplation will not be given to those who willfully remain at a distance from God, who confine their interior life to a few routine exercises of piety and a few external acts of worship and service performed as a matter of duty. Such people are careful to avoid sin. They respect God as a Master. But their hearts do not belong to Him. They are not really interested in Him, except in order to insure themselves against losing heaven and going to hell. In actual practice, their minds and hearts are taken up with their own ambitions and troubles and comforts and pleasures and all their worldly interest and anxieties and fears. God is only invited to enter this charmed circle to smooth out difficulties and to dispense rewards.”
Ouch! A good thing to ask ourselves as we begin the new year: what of this passage is true of me? And do I really want a deeper relationship with God or not? And if I do, what is one thing I need to change right now? What is something I need to work on changing in the days and months ahead?