Seneca’s advice on my once-a-year birthday
1:04pm
Saint Paul
Hey *|FNAME|*, it’s my birthday!
And for the last few years, I’ve sent you my thoughts on Seneca’s Letter XXVI.
That’s the one where he reflects on his age and the importance of “rehearsing death.”
“You may possibly think it unnecessary,” Seneca writes, “to learn something which you will only have to put into practice once.”
To Seneca the philosopher, however, “death” doesn’t just mean the end of one’s life.
Seneca says life is really only free and good and alive when we’re no longer slaves bound by our earthly chains:
Chains of our comforts.
Chains of out habits.
Chains of the reach of “political powers” –– or, to you and me, the opinions of anyone who hold sway over us.
The Holy Bible has similar ideas to share:
Saint John 8:34
Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”
or
Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 7:23
You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
“You were bought at a price.”
“For God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son,” writes Saint John.
That’s the price God paid for our freedom.
A freedom that is truly hard to live.
And whether you prefer the Bible’s version or Seneca’s ideas, the concept is the same:
True freedom and the good life comes from breaking away from our destructive habits, our fears, and our desires for our own gain at the expense of others.
Have I found that true freedom?
Honestly, no.
I still have vices.
I still have fears.
Seneca writes that, with age, “only my vices and their accessories have decayed: the spirit is full of life.”
I pray daily that my own vices may slow down, so that I may walk ever closer in the footsteps of Christ.
And by doing so, I am rehearsing death. A little every day.
Thanks for reading. I love you,
Jeffrey