Entry 13
There are no truer
words than those that say, “there is no greater love than for a man to lay down
his life for his friend.” In the end it
all comes together. To suffer on this earth is the closest we can come to God,
and it is through the suffering through death that we meet out creator in
Heaven. There is thus no greater love on earth than for a man to suffer for
Christ, for it is in suffering that he will find peace, hope and love in its
entirety on earth. It is through suffering for another that we truly love, and
it is in dying both figuratively and physically that we truly are given new
life.
How counter
intuitive it is to live in this way – to seek out suffering for love’s sake, to
seek out our figurative death in order to live. Then again it only makes
perfect sense, as it is through this way of living that reflects the humblest
of circumstances. All of life in Christ is dictated by a humble means of
existence. Christ lived a humble existence - Christ came into this world in the
humblest of circumstances – so too must our ultimate happiness come in our
letting go of our pride and seeking out the most humble of circumstances for
lasting joy. Man can still have materials, but he must ‘die’ to them as the
source of his happiness. He must not be waived in the gain nor waived in the
loss of them. Therefore as I have reflected upon these Confessions of St. Augustine I have crucified myself in the flesh
with Christ for I desire to see something more beautiful than the lusting of
the flesh, and I see to it that I suffer with him through the temptations that
come and go just as he has borne my sin on the cross. For to live is Christ,
and to live is to boast in my weaknesses, for it is when I am weak, He is
strong.
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