基督徒

靜修之道   七之一  捨己愛主

如果我們移除了自我，我們會遇見誰？

德奧梵主教問。他立刻答道：

「我們會遇見神和我們的鄰人。」

正因如此，對於在基督裡尋求救恩的人來說，捨己是首要的約定：

只有如此，我們生命的核心，才能從自我轉向基督，

祂是我們的神，也是我們的鄰人。

因此，不要以各種消遣，陷自己於忙亂中。

忙碌於許多事，不論何種形式，多半是毒。

往內看，精確地檢視自己，您會注意到許多看似無私的行為，源自於您需要震聾自己的良心：也就是說，源自於您無法控制的、滿足自我和取悅自我的習慣。

不，慈愛、平安和全然犧牲的神，並不想活在忙亂和紛擾中，以此自娛，即便這忙碌或許偽裝為善。有一種測試方法：如果您心裡的平安受到擾亂，如果因為某些原因，您必須放棄原本計畫好的善行，而您因此變得沮喪或有些憤怒，您就曉得，源頭是混濁的了。

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IF we move out of our self, whom do we encounter? asks Bishop Theophan. He supplies the answer at once: We meet God and our neighbour. It is for this very reason that denying oneself is a stipulation, and the chief one, for the person who seeks salvation in Christ: only so can the centre of our being be moved from self to Christ, who is both God and our neighbour.

Refrain from busying yourself, therefore, with charity bazaars, sewing meetings and other such occupations. Busyness over many things is, in all its forms, chiefly a poison. Look within, examine yourself accurately, and you observe that many of these apparently self-giving deeds spring from a need to deafen your conscience: that is, from your uncontrollable habit of satisfying and pleasing yourself (Romans 15:1).

No, the God of love and peace and complete sacrifice does not care to live in the midst of bustling and ado to please oneself, even if this is carried on perhaps under some kind of pretence. There is one way to make a test: if your peace of mind is troubled, if you become dejected or perhaps a little angry if for some reason you have to give up performing the good deed you had planned, then you know that the spring was muddy.