Quote of the Day

I came across this wonderful little quote of C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia: "You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body." I think it's very important to remember the truth of our own being.

Socrates and Plato, the great Greek philosophers who lived long before the time of Christ, taught a more radical view. They believed that the body was an non-essential extra. Death was freedom from the prison of the body. Though they went too far in this regard, they did understand the importance of the soul which their Greek counterparts failed to see.

In the end, Socrates could be falsely executed without fear. It wasn't that he wanted to die but rather Socrates had knowledge that no evil could be done to a good man. Both Socrates and Plato knew that the most anyone could do was to damage their bodies - but no one has the ability to harm another's soul directly. The most one could do is tempt another to damage to his own soul through personal sin.

Adam and Eve's eventual physical deaths did not result of an attack by the Devil, rather it was a result of their own sins due to the temptation of the Devil. Bad things can happen in life (from a sick reletive to having surgery) but it is up to us to decide how we shall act upon those hardships. Moreover, the grace of God is always available, especially in the Eucharist and in Confession, to help us have the strength to make the right decisions.

Do you have the humility to ask for help?