The Roman poet Catullus gave us an offering in Latin, “odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requires? nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.” The literal translation is “I hate and I love. Why do I do this, perhaps you ask? I know not, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.” The poet had written this in response to his conflicted feelings about a mistress.
A short poem to provoke thoughts relating to the battle we fight every day individually. Catullus was being literal about his own mistress, but I see its metaphor. We are in love with our flesh, hating what we do in that love because it goes against the greater love of our spirit.
Apostle Paul wrote “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” He asked God to remove the “thorn in the flesh” but the response he received was “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” *
This thorn inside my soul
has taken its toll
I’d have given up this race
if it had not been for grace **
*NKJV Rom 7:15, 2Cor 12:7,9 ** Lyrics from Thorn (Here With You, Jessie Goodman)