Caring for our soul.
Our soul is everything.
Since my spirit, Me,
is in God's image and likeness and has eternal life, it stands to reason I must
do everything I can to cherish the trust God has in me.
Unless restricted by charity for the other, obedience, or
duties of office, I must never disregard God's loving prompts and invitations,
either by making my priorities more important than His or disregarding what he
has to say.
I must never forget our dear Lords words, “And do not fear
those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can
destroy both soul and body in hell.” [1]
I must not taste poison of any kind. I must not live in
darkness, where I will wither and die. I must not be burdened with any
information or attachments that separate me from the only good there is, God.
My soul must not starve for Holiness.
I must not frustrate or menace my spiritual life, with
anything that would burden it with stress and confusion.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, our daily concerns should be prayerful like Moses when he petitioned, “ . . . teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” [2]
Mother Mary’s loving monition.
Our loving Mother Mary tells us: “The temporal goods are
created by the Most High for the sole purpose of sustaining life; having
attained this end, the need of them ceases. And as this need is limited, soon
and easily satisfied, there is no reason that the care for the eternal soul
should be only fitful and temporary, while the hunger after riches should be so
perpetual and unintermitting, as it has come to be among men.
It is the height of perverseness for man to mix up the end and the means in an affair so important and urgent, that he devote all his time, all his care, all the exertion of his powers and all the alertness of his mind to the life of his body, of which he knows not the duration nor the end, and that on the other hand, in many years of his existence he spare for his poor soul only one hour, and that very often the last and the worst one of his whole life.”[3]
Interaction between soul and body.
As you will have gathered while reading this book, there is
a very intimate relationship between the soul and the body. On the one hand,
the body is a perfect machine with trillions of parts required for its
operations. It can become ill from without, germs, bacteria, accidents etc.
Usually these disorders can be easily remedied.
The soul, with you (your spirit) at the helm, operates this
“machine.” If the body is deficient in any way, the soul is hampered in
fulfilling your will. If the soul is deficient in any way, soul and body will
no longer be in harmony.
Such disorders have their effect on the body and impact on
its proper functioning. No antibiotic or food or anything else will solve the
problem. One must remedy the root cause, “why is my soul troubled?” Once this
has been resolved, body and soul will live in harmony once again.[4]
From my own experience, there is no doubt that when my soul
is troubled for any reason, my body “just ain’t the same.” I lose my appetite,
cannot sleep, and generally feel tense and anxious.
Having done volunteer work at a nursing home for ten years
or so, I met many residents who were cranky, noisy, troublesome and disturbing
to everyone. Clearly these were souls who were very troubled, some for many
years. They had no idea where they were and were continuously dissatisfied with
how they were being treated and cared for.
I have also met many residents who were serene, peaceful,
well dressed, always welcoming, always smiling, and never imposing. Their
voices were soft and calm, they spoke with articulation and preciseness. They
knew where they were and what was happening in their life. Though a little
anxious, they were acquiescent to their situation, somewhat like brides
nervously waiting to meet their Groom.
If your soul is troubled, deal with this as soon as possible. Speak to your parents, your spouse or to your confessor. Do not hold anything back. Why should you? Your lot as God's child is to walk tall and proud, not to cower or slink through this wonderful life he gives to you. God will never abandon you. You are made in his image, do not abandon Him.