Thư của Cha Rahner gửi Barbara
Dear Barbara,
To tell the truth, I don't really
believe that you are living under an "inhuman pressure". Naturally in our life
we must over and over again instantly decide as to what we say or do not say,
what we do or do not do. And it is also natural that afterwards - if we are
honest and self-critical - we tell ourselves that this or that was not rightly said
or donẹ But when after the event, we faultily assess such blunders and allow
them to lead to bouts of depression, it is the effect of a false pride that
compels us, erroneously, to take our guilt upon ourselves. Perhaps one should
not take any relatively unimportant things of everyday life too seriously.
You should, of course, also pitch in
at home and not excuse yourself on the ground that you are too tired when you
are expected to lend a hand. If this is because of an egoism, it is really to
be taken seriously. But to repeat, one should not allow oneself to be overly
weighed down by the deficiencies, even by the petty acts of meanness of our
life.
You are not caught in a trap that has
snapped. But if you calmly and cheerfully judge yourself, you should always
say, that this trap at bottom is an open one. If today you failed to say a kind
word to one of the persons around you, you can at least make it up tomorrow. If
you are now depressed and leave chores to others, make amends for your neglect
at the very next opportunity.
One falls, but then one lifts oneself
up again. If one has been neglectful, there is a way to make up for it. The
patience that we owe to our fellow-creatures is something that we also owe to
ourselves, and this too, is a Christian virtue. One must be self-compassionate,
just as one is enjoined to be compassionate with others and their weaknesses.
Be serene and joyful and don't take
yourself seriously. We must be answerable for our lifẹ But there is also much
in our life for which we actually cannot be accountable. We cannot neatly
separate the one from the other. To practice them jointly remains a singular
yet cheerful task of our life and one to be confidently and trustfully
accepted.
With all good wishes,
Karl Rahner.
Mai Thư