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Why We Live in Community
Eberhard Arnold
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Merton’s thought in his two published talks on Arnold is wide-ranging. Placing Arnold in historical context with incisive clarity, he then proceeds to make extensive verbatim use of the latter’s masterly essay. He does not hesitate to make criticisms in the few cases where he feels Arnold has overstated his case, but he immediately goes on to qualify them by showing us the validity of Arnold’s underlying insight and his ultimate conclusion. Like Arnold, Merton is totally Christocentric, and we can only admire his comprehensive grasp of Pauline Christology and the ease with which he weaves it into his exposition. He proclaims in very straight-forward language the fact that community is love’s victory over death, lived – by ordinary people – in union with Christ, by the grace of his victory.
Both Merton and Arnold emphasize that ordinary people can live the victory of community, though not by their own doing; it is possible only through God’s working in and among them. We need to see this very clearly. If we do not, we cannot face the evil in us that militates against community. We let it discourage us, and we give up in our attempt to live communally, or we repress it and relate in a superficial and untruthful way that never realizes true community. It is poor, weak, stupid sinners that Christ finds his joy and glory in bringing to loving oneness through the activity of his Spirit. As Merton says, “The ultimate thing is that we build community not on our love but on God’s love.” In the midst of conflict, our question should not be “Who is right?” but “Do we believe?” “Faith is first, and the only one who is right is God.”
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