Brilliant

From No Man Is an Island, p. 99:

The saint... is sanctified not only by fasting when he should fast but also by eating when he should eat. He is not only sanctified by his prayers in the darkness of the night, but by the sleep that he takes in obedience to God, Who made us what we are. Not only His solitude contributes to his union with God, but also his supernatural love for his friends and his relatives ....

So heavenly minded that he's no earthly good? Merton is not only brilliant; he has a lotta not-so-common sense as well.

Then on page 101:

Our self-denial is sterile and absurd if we practice it for the wrong reasons or, worse still, without any valid reason at all.

I resemble that remark! -- I have in the past, anyway. But as the Lord says, "Come, let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18) -- in other words, be reasonable. Good idea.