Sometimes I
like to read the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and think through the wisdom,
or lack thereof, in his ponderings.
He is a
great example from today,
“Remember that your directing mind becomes invincible when it
withdraws into its own self-sufficiency, not doing anything it does not wish to
do, even if its position is unreasonable. How much more, then, when the
judgement it forms is reasoned and deliberate? That is why a mind free of
passions is a fortress: people have no stronger place of retreat, and someone
taking refuge here is then impregnable. Anyone who has not seen this is short
of wisdom: anyone who has seen it and does not take refuge is short of fortune.”[i]
This passage
is probably a good reason why Rome lost to the Church, because, as Martin
Luther notes, A mighty fortress is our God. There is a greater fortress for a
Christian to rest in than our own mind and that is within trust in the Lord
himself. This is a firmer foundation than our own self-sufficiency. And as Isaiah says, “3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the
Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isa. 26:3-4).
However,
what Aurelius says here is not without wisdom. A person that is sufficient in
who they are and what they have or do not have, is going to be far less prone
to being bought off or corrupted, or swayed by bad ideas or fear, than a person who is given to all or any passions. Think of the fictional character Reacher and his desire to be
content within himself and how it makes him an impossible person to buy off. If you don't know anything about Reacher, think of the incorruptible hero stereotypes that stair down the corrupt offerings of their enemies and pursue justice no matter the cost. A man content in what he is and has is like a rock in a surging sea.
If a person
is given over to luxuries or sexual passion, or gluttony, or any of these
things, then he is going to be far more prone to being dominated by others,
because every decision he makes will be to keep these things and even increase them. If he is not
willing to rely on the strength he has within himself to say no, then he will
not be able to say no. And for the believer we know that the strength we have
within ourselves does not come from our own self-sufficiency, it comes from the
indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost himself that enables us to tap into a
much larger pool of strength and stand behind a far greater refuge that we can
ever offer for ourselves.
Of course
when we do this we are not looking inwards, really, we are looking heavenwards.
This is the kind of strength with which the early Church was able to stand
against Rome. An impossible thing for many other forces in both religion and
nations to do. Anyone who does not seek to turn towards our true refuge, God,
lacks wisdom and will lack the strength to oppose those things which we must
oppose, and will lack the ability to advance those things we must advance.
A cursory
glance at much of the church today shows that most Christians are overcome by
their passions and that they do not know how to get beyond this. Many do not
even know that they should. What is incredible is that an ancient pagan like Aurelius
would get closer to learning the victory over sins and passions than many of those
who today profess Christ. He got close, but was not quite there. A part of the
key is not being given over to passions, but the larger part is having the
right refuge, Jesus Christ himself to rely on. As the apostle Paul said,
“9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake
of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor.
12:9-10).
Praise God
that we do not have to rely on our own self-sufficiency. And praise God that he
offers to us an internal strength beyond which even some of the greatest of emperors had to draw draw upon.
List of
References
[i]
Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, pp111-112, Penguin Classics Edition.
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