Part 6 (1/2)
”Can he who seeks G.o.d be leading a bad life?”
”Certainly not,” they said.
”Can a man who is not pure in heart seek G.o.d?”
”No,” they agreed.
”Then,” said Augustine, ”what have we here? A man who leads a good life, does G.o.d's will, and is pure of heart, is seeking G.o.d. But he does not yet possess Him. Therefore we cannot uphold that they who lead good lives, do G.o.d's will, and are pure of heart, possess G.o.d.”
They all laughed at the trap in which he had caught them. But Monica, saying that she was slow to grasp these things, asked to have the argument repeated. Then she thought a moment.
”No one can possess G.o.d without seeking Him,” she said.
”True,” said Augustine, ”but while he is seeking he does not yet possess.”
”I think there is no one who does not have G.o.d,” she said. ”But those who live well have Him for their friend, and those who live badly make themselves His enemies. Let us change the statement, 'He who possesses G.o.d is happy' to 'He who has G.o.d for his friend is happy.'”
All agreed to this but Navigius.
”No,” he said, ”for this reason. If he is happy who has G.o.d for his friend (and G.o.d is the friend of those who seek Him, and those who seek Him do not possess Him, for to this all have agreed), then it is obvious that those who are seeking G.o.d have not what they want. And we all agreed yesterday that a man cannot be happy unless he has what he wants.”
Monica could not see her way out of this difficulty, although she was sure there was one. ”I yield,” she said, ”for logic is against me.”
”Well,” said Augustine, ”we have reached the conclusion that he who has found G.o.d has Him for his friend and is happy; but he who is still seeking G.o.d has Him for his friend but is not yet happy. He, however, who has separated himself from G.o.d by sin has neither G.o.d for his friend nor is he happy.”
This satisfied everybody.
The other side of the question was then considered.
”In what did unhappiness consist?” asked Augustine.
Monica maintained that neediness and unhappiness must go together.
”For he who has not what he wants,” she said, ”is both needy and unhappy.”
Augustine then supposed a man who had everything he wanted in this world. Could it be said that he was needy? Yet was it certain that he was happy?
Licentius suggested that there would remain with him the fear of losing what he had.
”That fear,” replied Augustine, ”would make him unhappy but would not make him needy. Therefore we could have a man who is unhappy without being needy.”
To this everyone agreed but Monica, who still argued that unhappiness could not be separated from neediness.
”This supposed man of yours,” she said, ”rich and fortunate, still fears to lose his good fortune. That shows that he wants wisdom. Can we call a man who wants money needy, and not call him so when he wants wisdom?”
At this remark there was a general outcry of admiration. It was the very argument, said Augustine, that he had meant to use himself.
”Nothing,” said Licentius, ”could have been more truly and divinely said. What, indeed, is more wretched than to lack wisdom? And the wise man can never be needy, whatever else he lacks.”
Augustine then went on to define wisdom. ”The wisdom that makes us happy,” he said, ”is the wisdom of G.o.d, and the wisdom of G.o.d is the Son of G.o.d. Perfect life is the only happy life,” he continued, ”and to this, by means of firm faith, cheerful hope, and burning love we shall surely be brought if we but hasten towards it.”