Mystical Contemplation Is A Pure Gift Of God. Poem by Genova Maaa my mother

Mystical contemplation is absolutely beyond the reach of man's activity. There is nothing he can do to obtain it by himself. It is a pure gift of God. God gives it to whom He wills, when He wills, and in the way and degree in which He wills. By cooperating with the work of ordinary grace we can - and if we really mean to love God, we must - constantly grow and progress in charity and union with Him by our good works" (Thomas Merton, Poetry and Contemplative Life, P.105) .