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A True Christian

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Clarissa

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One of Chirbes’s friends was an atheist, married to a deeply religious Catholic woman. Their whole lives together, the husband pretended to be as religious as his wife. He didn’t want to hurt her, wanted to make her happy, so every day he would get on his knees and they would pray together. 50 years of daily shared prayers, of weekly mass, all out of love for his wife. The husband sacrificed his need to be right to the comfort of another person.

What can possibly be more deeply Christian than what this husband did?

10 responses to “A True Christian”

  1. Avi Avatar
    Avi

    It’s called the religion of love for a reason, except that people don’t know what love is.

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  2. overgrownhobbit Avatar
    overgrownhobbit

    “What can possibly be more deeply Christian than what this husband did?“

    Repenting of his pride, narcissism, and dishonesty, and receiving Christ’s forgiveness, and allowing the Spirit of love to grant him grace and humilty, so that he could share his wife’s deepest love.

    That poor woman.

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    1. cliff arroyo Avatar
      cliff arroyo

      “That poor woman”

      Kind of my feeling…. I can imagine pretending to have faith when you don’t might be appropriate or kind in some circumstances but 50 years? That’s pushing it and verging on mockery…

      I dont’ know all the circumstances in that particular case and am incapable of religious faith but I absolutely would not want a person close to me thinking that lying in my face was kind…. (unless it’s about my unbounded and keen perceptions and intellecutal stature in which case…. fib away!).

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      1. Clarissa Avatar
        Clarissa

        The point is that he is, in fact, deeply Christian. He’s not extremely self-aware but that’s everybody.

        I highly recommend the novel St Manuel Bueno, Martyr by Miguel de Unamuno. It’s a novelistic treatment of this exact issue. What is faith? Is it repeating like a parrot that you have faith? Or is it a lifetime of willingly chosen sacrifice made out of kindness towards others?

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          Imagine if it turned out that she was also not a believer but she knew he was doing it for her and didn’t want his sacrifice to be in vain. That would be a great story.

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          1. Avatar
            Anonymous

            Very O Henry

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              It’s very our entire civilization. The word “our” is, of course, nothing but a kindness. It’s the only civilization.

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              1. oldcowboy3 Avatar
                oldcowboy3

                “It’s very our entire civilization…kindness.”

                Yeah, and it is at risk. Most working class men inherited something like this, my will states what everybody gets…because almost all new tools are made of f’in chinesium ;-D

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        2. cliff arroyo Avatar
          cliff arroyo

          “What is faith? “

          I’m reminded of a character in the Polish version of the Office, who describes himself unironically as ‘non-believing but practicing Catholic’ (which is extremely accurate for a very large number of people in the country).

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  3. oldcowboy3 Avatar
    oldcowboy3

    It is not unusual for couples to be “unevenly yoked” — especially in today’s feminized churches.

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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