The Substance of the Soul

I was doing some reflection last evening about the stuff our souls are made of.

Here are my thoughts on the matter: I've come to realize that God has created us the way we are on purpose. The life we lead in our body inescapably affects the shape of our soul / spirit.

The Gnostic heresy that the physical world doesn't matter, that it's all about the spirit just doesn't hold up.

God created us as a unity of body and spirit. Our spirits die when we disobey God, our spirits live and develop as we obey God in our bodies.

Before the Fall of Man, this wouldn't have been any big deal. God created Man with a body for a reason. Men will have spiritual bodies in the next life. God created a physical universe for a reason.

Of course, His reason and reasons are way beyond our comprehension, but His reasons were and remain good ones, filled with His wisdom and love.

God didn't create us to stagnate or stand still. When we try to "stop the world" because we want to get off, we hurt the non-physical part of us, too.

God created us to grow for all Eternity. There is no choice but to choose to grow towards God or away from Him.

And we should rejoice that it is so. It is a great gift that He has given to us! Let's do everything in our power to embrace this great gift and use it wisely.

Peace of Christ to all,

Columba Silouan.