Friday, January 6
XV
The humans live in time, but our Enemy destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself and to that point in time which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which our Enemy has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present - either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure.
Your affectionate uncle
Screwtape
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Why does time touch eternity at the present? I would think it touches at the end of time (i.e. death). Like a beautiful sunrise view, the earth touches the sky at the viewpoint of the observer which changes with the height and eyesight of the observer. Hmm...
ReplyDeleteTrue, but aren't the terms "past", "present" and "future" used for time? In eternity there is no such terms.
ReplyDeleteSo then do animals experience eternity in the present? I think it is at the end of time, or life for that matter, when eternity is experienced. When one is on earth, they are subjected to all the laws and limitations of earth and time is one of those. Therefore, one can only know of eternity, but never, fully experience it until they leave this world eventhough this world exists in eternity.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so you are refering to an eternal spirit and not eternity itself. I understand. Yes, I concur that animals do not have awareness of the metaphysical (see my blog "A Baby"). You must have an eternal spirit to connect with eternity or that which lives in eternity. However, that doesn't help me in my confusion of Lewis' description of the invasion of eternity in the present. All we ever have is the present so it can easily be assumed when we "have", we are connected with eternity via a spirit that is aware of eternity. So if it enters in the present, what is the past and the future?
ReplyDelete