The Beauty of the Soul
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (in Jn. 6) If a discerning Catholic, puts God second place, the soul will suffer. The life within, in the soul, is a life of strong conviction for some, and a very fragile life for others. The soul is reserved for a special relationship with Jesus, a strong relationship of total love with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That means God ALWAYS comes first. And that also means, when the proverbial bell rings, we stop what we are doing and we withdraw into our "secret room" to pray. If we do this consistently, we will never run out on God and He will reward us, if not in this life, then certainly in the next.
The relationship between God the Father and God the Son is very special. Based on much prayer and thought, and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, their relationship is filial, in other words, like a father and child. Their love is perfect in every way, and our love for God must be as perfect as possible. Can we accomplish this? We should try to unburden ourselves of weakness and sin. We should forgive people who have hurt us, and seek reconciliation with those whom we have hurt. Seeking pure relationships with people comes at a cost, suffering. It takes suffering on the part of most people to maintain this total immersion in obedience to God, and purity. It can be a very rocky well-fought fight. He does not award spiritual slouching. He looks for dedication, zeal, and the strong will to please Him. He loves conquerors, He identifies with those who will give this fight their 100% effort. God is also a very forgiving Master. When we have erred, we confess our sins, and we promise to do better. We can say we love God, but do we really? Do our actions, our striving to obey His Commandments, indicate willingness to try harder, or is it only a half-hearted effort. The great Saint Bonaventure, in so many words, said ... If you love God, you do not sin. If you still sin, you do not love God enough! That's really what this is all about. It is the nitty-gritty of the matter, not loving God enough. But what are you doing about it... are you trying to sin less, or are you a spiritual couch potato?
Within a strong sense of obedience, it is possible to live in a continual state of purity. Obedience is the gateway that keeps our will, tainted by Original Sin, out of the equation. There is so much suffering in this mixed up world, there are so many people away from the Church, who need our prayerful help. A dedicated soul is a valuable commodity, that far outweighs any artificial road to fame, lavish living, or material things as such. Chastity, it is easy to understand why this is one of the Evangelical Counsels, even for lay people, married or single, who belong to Secular Institutes (e.g. Secular Franciscan Order), there is a need for chaste living. The rewards, even in this life, are overwhelming. Being at total peace with God is a happy relationship, a contemplative or meditative relationship, and subsequently those who enjoy this state of the soul, will be beneficial to society, evenly friendly to all, regardless of differences between themselves and others. They will bring into this world, a continual smile, a compassionate heart, and they will be seen as an image of Christ.
May the Lord bless you and may He show His face to you.
Fred Schaeffer, OFS
May 2, 2024
Note: I have borrowed some sentences from another one of my reflections, but apart from those, this is a new reflection.