What do I love when I love my God? Not material beauty...not the brilliance of earthly light...not the sweet melody of harmony and song; not the fragrance of flowers, perfumes and spices; not manna or honey; not limbs such as the body delights to embrace. It is not these that I love when I love my God.And yet, when I love him, it is true that I love a light of a certain kind, a voice, a perfume, a food, an embrace...when my soul is bathed in light that is not bound by space; when it listens to sound that never dies away; when it breathes fragrance that is not borne away on the wind; when it tastes food that is never consumed by the eating; when it clings to an embrace from which it is not severed by fulfillment of desire. This is what I love when I love my God. (Augustine, Confessions, X.6)
I certainly do not relate, and I think Augustine is misguided here...a little.
ReplyDeleteWell, you've got to remember what Augustine was saved out of - bondage to sensuality. He found the love of Christ utterly different and yet better. Unfortunately, he probably swung too far in the opposite direction. But I still love to read Confessions and that's one of my favorite quotes.
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