Soul QUESTION from Bobbie March 4, 1999 In Divine Mercy in my Soul by St. Faustina Conversation of the Merciful God with a Sinful Soul this conversation with Jesus to the soul I would like to know for instance when I pray I would add. O my soul, I hope you can make it to heaven (knowing that our bodies are thrown away after death,I think) I am sorry for all the sins on my soul All the prayers are beautiful in this Diary.
My question is is it all right to talk to your own soul? It is truly from my own heart since I returned to God and when I read the above conversations I just felt like talking to my soul and hopes it made it to heaven if I try very hard on earth to not sin no more. Thanks
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius on Thursday, March 4, 1999 Dear Bobbie:
The soul is that part us by which we feel, know, will, and by which the body is animated. It is the substance or being of who we are which exists per se. It is immortal, it is spiritual (operates to some extent independently of matter).
To talk to your soul, is to talk to your self. I see nothing wrong in this and as far as I know the Church sees nothing wroing in this.
But we do need to avoid a dualism -- a separation of body and soul. You mentioned that our bodies are thrown away. This is not correct. If you remember in the Creed, at the end, it says we believe in the Resurrection of the Body.
Our bodies will be resurrected someday and we will receive a tranformation of that body into a glorified body. We don't know the nature of this glorified body other than it comes from the transformation of our human bodies.
Our bodies are not something to be throw away. That is why the Catholic Church treats the dead body with such respect and why it regulates things like cremation. Cremation is allowed ONLY if one's desire for cremation is not tied to a disbelief in the resurrection. And when cremation is properly done, the Church does not allow the ashes to be scattered about. They must be buried in a grave. The body is to be respected in the upmost way.
We will see our bodies again, glorified as Jesus' body was glorified upon his resurrection.
As for talking to your soul, as long as you are not thinking in terms of some dualistic separation of soul and body, I see nothing wrong with it.
Athletes sometimes talk to their bodies, Come on legs, keep running to the finish line!
Come on John-Paul, you can be loving to this unloving person. I suppose I could say it, Come on Soul, you can be loving to this unloving person.
The soul, is YOU.
Back to Index Page