Autism Consecrated

Author: Autism Consecrated

  • ACAT 15: Soul Lost and Found

    ACAT 15: Soul Lost and Found

    How exactly is a soul lost?

    If a soul is lost, can it be recovered?

    We have talked about a soul being “lost” in the sense of losing one’s sense of direction, or losing track of where we should be on a given path.  There are those other senses of “lost” which we must not fail to discuss, such as no longer being able to have or keep something; also, giving up by acknowledging defeat.

    These two senses do apply to the idea of a soul being lost.  It is possible to give such little regard to the God-endowed value of our soul that we are not fit guardians of that which God has entrusted to us.  It is just as possible to approach life as a game or a gamble, and if we fail to invest our strategy wisely, we will be overpowered by the forces that act in opposition to God.

    This is the first time we have looked squarely at the idea there might be forces actively, deliberately opposing God.  Our Baltimore Catechism has not yet gotten into the particulars of demons, temptation and sentient sabotage.  We are a little ahead of ourselves, perhaps, but no less needing these questions answered, if we are to be looking at good soul care.  Are there such things as demons?  Is the Satan story real, or just a parable representing our free will?

    Question 38 of the Baltimore Catechism explains that Satan and the fallen angels are real, as do many other sources within the Catholic and other Christian traditions.  Rebel spirits go by several different names.  Fallen angels, demons and false gods are some of the most common.  In the interest of keeping things simple, it is accurate to say that these rebel spirits are an unseen force actively working against God.  Demons cannot steal or destroy souls, but they can contribute confusion, division, frustration and temptation to our everyday lives in their ongoing aggression toward God.

    Can a soul be “lost” as in no longer being able to have something?  Or “lost” as in a battle?

    In either case, yes – if we actively, knowingly choose to decline or resist God up until the last moment of our earthly life.

    God does not destroy what He creates and endows with value.  God does not reject us.  He does not even reject us when we waver or question.  He does not even penalize us for acting in ignorance (for reference, see Luke 23:34).  The only way our soul can be forfeited is if we, as its custodians, review the options and decisively reject God – whether as a solitary act or in a spirit of solidarity with the fallen angels.  Yes… some people do choose to distrust, divide, rebel and oppose, usually for the chance to exercise maximum control.  In seizing that choice, our soul is lost from our care – and forfeits eternity with God.

    In sum: A soul cannot be lost if it chooses at any point to seek God, even if this is at the very last moment of earthly life.

    A soul can only be lost if it chooses to reject God, definitively, in its last moment.

    A soul who is lost at the end of its earthly life cannot be recovered.

    Where is our hope, then?

    Earthly life.

    Seeking God.

    Learning to trust.

  • ACAT 14: Care for Our Body

    ACAT 14: Care for Our Body

    How can we take care of our body without compromising our soul?

    The tone of this question may sound a little confusing.  How would taking care of our body compromise our soul in the first place?  In a reasonable manner, not at all.  Caring for our body is responsible and Godly.  There is no conflict between practicing physically wellness and spiritual wellness.

    The problem is, physical wellness, as a concept, has become very marketable, and very profitable.  Wellness has been taken from its place of common sense and elevated to an ideal which we are encouraged to strive toward at all costs… particularly those costs transferring from our pockets to those selling products promising to bring us that much closer to this nebulous but never quite fully defined state of “well.”

    In the spirit of keeping things simple, we look back to why our bodies exist (= to know, love and serve God), and feel that provides a sufficient enough answer to the question.  We can take care of our bodies by optimizing their ability to help us know God, love God and serve God, and by minimizing the things that interfere with our knowing, loving or serving God.

    Every principle of wellness seems to flow logically from the know-love-serve-God formula.  If God endowed us with the body we have, we naturally have an obligation to give it care that reflects our acknowledgment of this gift.  We ought not to abuse or overindulge our bodies’ capacities for pleasure or pain.  We ought to recognize the interconnection between physical, emotional and mental wellness and strive for balance in all that we do, produce and consume.  We do well to notice the chain reactions between mental distress, emotional distress, physical distress and spiritual distress.  A healthy body promotes a healthy mind, and a healthy mind promotes a healthy spiritual connection to God.

    Anything truly good promotes wellness without cultivating worry or scarcity.  Godly wellness flows from the abundance and peace characteristic of God Himself.  Within this formula, then, nothing can compromise soul care.  Physical fitness, self-care, food and beverage, leisure, expressions of love and beauty all have a place within a God-knowing, God-loving and God-serving life.  Only when any of the above take excessive attention from knowing, loving or serving God does soul care become compromised.

    How can we tell when something takes excessive attention from knowing, loving or serving God?  We dare say, when it reaches the point where we wish God weren’t watching.  If we feel like we have to sneak something we intend to do, take a closer look.  Why sneak it?  Who will disapprove, and why?  Would God disapprove?  If so, it’s not good for the soul.  If we’re not sure, it’s probably a very good time to find out first.  And, if not… then maybe this is a good time to revisit how we understand God.  There are definite limits to the bodily pleasures God intends, and definite reasons for the limits of Godly order… along the same lines as the limits imposed by a wellness-oriented lifestyle.  Denying indulgence in one area is often the avenue to produce a greater good in another.  This is just as true in soul wellness as it is in body wellness.

    In the end, recognizing that “caring” is far healthier than “pleasing” is a shortcut that applies to body care, soul care… and even our relationship with God.

  • ACAT 13: Body Vs. Soul

    ACAT 13: Body Vs. Soul

    Does taking care of our body somehow interfere with taking care of our soul?

    We come back to the interconnectedness of soul, body and mind with hopefully a little more clarity.

    All three elements – body, mind and soul – are integral parts of who we are.  The core of our identity rests in the soul, the center from which our thoughts, feelings, intentions, impressions and actions arise.

    Much has been debated over the centuries as to the role the body plays in the health of our soul.  Some contend that the body and soul are in constant battle, with the cravings of the flesh ever drawing us toward pleasure at the expense of virtue and morality.  Some feel that morality is subjective, and that contentment of the body reflects, or promotes, contentment of the soul.  Some fall somewhere in between.

    The Catholic Church has a very well-defined moral code spelled out in its Catechisms, consistently seen from the Baltimore edition to the 1992 edition published under Pope John Paul II, to the most recently published 2011 Youth Catechism (YOUCAT).  The Catholic Church is very specific in telling us that comfort of the body must not take more importance than the integrity of our soul.  Why?  Because, a life ordered around pleasing the body is incompatible with the intended design and operating parameters of the soul.

    Here is a way to summarize the right order of living:

    The role of body and mind is to promote and uphold the purity and integrity of the soul.

    • Purity: Preservation from corruption
    • Integrity: Wholeness; being undivided

    We can use a chart like this to compare operating parameters:

    Body Soul
    Mortal (will die) Immortal (cannot die)
    Tangible Intangible
    Can change appearance Cannot change appearance
    Does not determine who a person is by itself Determines who a person is by itself
    Has infused, actual cellular identity Has infused, actual essential identity

     

    Though we might see this as a list of opposites, taking care of our body does not have to interfere with taking care of our soul, or vice versa.  It would be absurd to think that God would set up a creature opposed to itself.  The two are not designed to be at odds.  In fact, when each maintains awareness of the other, body and soul work in harmonious balance which upholds the wholeness of the entire person.

    Imbalance occurs when we exaggerate emphasis on our body’s needs or consider our bodily needs more frequently than considering the needs of our soul.  Think in terms of the chart above.  If we spend a great deal of energy on things that are mortal, we have less to devote to the immortal.  If we focus on sensual feelings, we spend less time feeding our intangible needs.  If we put more stock in our body’s appearance than our soul’s identity, we neglect that core part of ourselves that makes us who we are.  It begins to sound like common sense.

    Living in right order means that our body’s actions respect our soul’s operating parameters.  Choosing body over soul neglects the immortal.  What does this mean, since a soul can’t die?  It will never cease to exist… but, if neglected, a soul can starve.

    One last question: Can it ever be that we give too much emphasis to soul care, and not enough to body or mind?  No.  Here’s why: The soul is the essence of our life.  A healthy soul produces a sound mind and actualized body.  A very, very healthy soul produces a very, very sound mind and a very, very actualized body.  Shall we keep going?  Is there such a thing as too much health?  Thankfully, no!

    When we look at it this way, then, the best way to care for the body is to lavish excellent care upon the soul.  Does care of the body interfere with care of the soul?  No; it BEGINS WITH, and THRIVES UPON, care of the soul.