Myriad points of mercy

"Again that expression, le point vierge, (I cannot translate it) comes in here. At the centre of our being is a point of pure nothingness which is untouched by sin and illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark that belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasises of our mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point of nothingness and of our absolute poverty is the pure glory of God written in us. It is so to speak His name written in us, as our sonship. It is like a pure diamond blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see these billions of points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely."

Thomas Merton (shown here with D.T. Suzuki).

Mercy is the nature of this light. We all dwell in its embrace. No one can fall out of it. The invitation, constantly present, is to fall into it. Flick the switch and the lightening of mercy is always presence.

Candle, Eigg by Winifred Nicholson

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