Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.27

Live with the gods.

And he does live with the gods who constantly shows to them that his own soul is satisfied with that which is assigned to him, and that it does all that the daemon wishes, which Zeus has given to every man for his guardian and guide, a portion of himself.

And this is every man's understanding and reason.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 5 (tr Long)

The matter of religion, and religious practices, can get people quite worked up. Perhaps only questions of politics are more troublesome.

I have found that there is a good reason for this. Religious faith is about what is ultimate, and at the same time it is also deeply personal. This can be an explosive mixture. It furthermore doesn’t help us when appeals to faith are sadly so often characterized by their hypocrisy instead of their sincerity.

But I can rest assured that Marcus Aurelius isn’t trying to proselytize or get his hands on my donation, because he describes the root of piety in a manner that is honest, simple, and universal.

The pious man is happy to live with Providence.

The pious man follows the guidance of his reason, and of his conscience.

In both of these things, he shows reverence for the Divine, however he may choose to understand it. He recognizes that he is a part of something greater than himself, and that his own good participates in the good of all things. He also recognizes that he is given a great gift, and a great responsibility, in having the power of understanding. He knows his every action must be in harmony with the benefit of the whole.

The Divine that made him is also present within him, because he can order his own life through his use of reason, just as all of Nature is ordered through Divine Reason.

I had the great benefit of being raised with religion that was never about posturing or manipulation, though I learned very quickly that many others saw it quite differently. As I grew older, I would ask myself, “How is this right for me?” There was a certain moment, however, when I saw that this wasn’t exactly the best way to ask the question. I should rather simply be asking, “How is this right?”

The difference was not just thinking of myself, but rather also thinking of myself in relation to all other things. It was about how I worked in the context of how the world worked. I should be willing to play my part, and do so with a sense of accountability, knowing that it was my own reason that could guide the way.

My grandmother would sometime scold me with the saying, “Use the mind that God gave you!” It would make me grimace then, but it makes me smile now. 

Written in 7/2006

IMAGE: Marcus Aurelius offers sacrifice at the Temple of Jupiter.