I've only begun, but what a beautiful thought already in the first chapter. Father Arseny is listening to a discussion on which was more important: faith in God or love for the neighbor. He, of course, proceeds to show their inseparability. He then adds this curious thought:
...if a man does good deeds, loves people, perhaps even gives his life for others but does not love God, does not believe in God, then, in spite of his goodness he is spiritually dead because he does not want to know God. I happen to have met such people. They may be good, warm-hearted, ready to give away their last piece of bread, but they are indifferent to God, not accepting of Him - they may even be God's enemies. And, you know, in spite of all their 'goodness' I could see something missing in their behavior, their character, their outlook on life: *they had made a religion out of their own goodness, and for them that had replaced God.*
2 comments:
I've not read either of the Father Arseny books, but they look very good.
Enjoy!
Oh, mimi, they are really a treat! I hope you get a chance to enjoy them. I'm thinking that after Pascha, I might read them to the family. My kids STILL let me read to them (and they're 15 and 17 - the ones at home anyway).
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