enemies within

“Declare your jihad on thirteen enemies you cannot see -egoism, arrogance, conceit, selfishness, greed, lust, intolerance, anger, lying, cheating, gossiping and slandering. If you can master and destroy them, then you will be read to fight the enemy you can see.”

 Al-Ghazzali

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Who are our enemies?

It is the Muslims?

The immigrants at the border?

Is it people of color,

Or those whose sexual orientation is different from mine?

Who do I need to fear?

From what do I need to protect myself?

Against whom, against what do I need war?

Perhaps the greatest enemies lie within,

and are those inner trolls of the soul

that blind us,

numb us

mislead us

Perhaps the greatest dangers are those things

that ooze up, out of our inner swamp

the greed and lust,

the lying, the abuse of power

unless we understand who our true enemies are

we will kill what is good and kind within us

we will erode out souls

and then we will join the crass throng

that calls good evil, and evil good

and crucify the true self

on the cross of blind desire and fear

and kill justice, and equity

hope and joy

and kill love

at the same time

there is another path

there is a better path

where, in meditation, in silence, in prayer

we come to that place

where we see ourselves clearly

and walk the path of truth, generosity, and love

Thomas Merton once said “I die by brightness and the Holy Spirit.”

Let us be drawn by the light into that place

Where we see what is real, and what is not

Where we see that is good, and what is not

And move from life to death

And in that dying to life

Have been overwhelmed and undone by the Sacred

And given rebirth

As a child of God