In the true Christian, every
enjoyment which comes from the body is a sin. If you feel you _like_
this or that, it is a sign that you must renounce it, give it up. If
you feel fond of life, you must force yourself to hate it; for life
is sin. Life is given to us that we may conquer ourselves. We are
placed in the midst of sin that we may struggle against its
temptations. There is temptation in the very breath you draw, since
you feel a dread if it is checked. You must live so as to be ready
at any moment to give up your life with gladness, as a burden which
it has been appointed you to bear for a time. There is temptation in
the love you feel for those around you; it makes you cling to life;
you are tempted to grieve if you lose them, whereas death is the
greatest blessing in the gift of God. And just because it is so, we
must not snatch at it before our time; it would be a sin to kill
ourselves, since that would be to escape from the tasks set us. Many
pleasures would seem to be innocent, but even these it is better to
renounce, since for that purpose does every pleasure exist. I speak
of the pleasures of the world. One joy there is which we may and
must pursue, the joy of sacrifice.
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