Chastity South Africa- You are your body!

(Chastity South Africa)

Article by Marc Aupiais

Theologically- we are fully body and fully soul. The soul is the life, the body that which is given life by the soul. Before conception we have souls, life much like the animals do- temperal, not eternal- but at conception we are made permanent- aeviternal is the better word. Biblically- the soul is often used to denote the body and soul- the self of a man!

For now- our bodies are temperal- because if they were aeviternal- we would not be able to return to God. The body of a man is the only thing apart from the spiritual which can influence his soul. We cannot be saved or condemned apart from the actings of our own body. At birth- we are weakened by the lack of grace known as original sin- this is why the fear exists of many souls going straight to hell- however- in addition to our physical actions, and physical thoughts- is what we are planning to do, or would do given the chance- and this too has a ghostly effect on our lives, on our souls.

Life is more complex than many think it is- God for instance is pure Life. That means life is more than pure animation. The word animation in fact comes from the Latin word for soul- anima. We say rather- the soul and the life of a being are one thing.

When we speak of the form of one's body- we speak of something which is also utterly connected with the soul. The human person is designed that way- we interact with the world with our bodies- and are as much our body as we are our soul.

When we feel we cannot control the weakness of our body, we are lying to ourselves. Our body is ourself- we are perfectly in control when we sin. It does not make it harder or easier, but so far as we know what we are doing, know it is wrong, and are awake enough to comprehend, and alter our actions- we are responsible for our actions.

When the body has a desire- this desire is entered into with our entire self to some degree. When our desires of evil exist- we know this is purely the twisting of desires once good- but no longer so. Like the Orcs in Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings, who were once elves, and wondrous- evil is not the opposite of good- but the mutation of it- so that it is no longer as it is.

When our body has a desire- when our mind or emotions desire something- we must ask of the source of it- if the source is the same as the desire, and it is good- perhaps we have found the source- otherwise- when a desire is evil- the body does not desire something evil- even as the mind might be disposed by our past, or weakness to believe that it desires evil. It rather- either continues old habits, or believes lies we have told it, or tells us something we misunderstand, or take too heavily.

When we desire to do evil- we must view the good which has been twisted, and maligned into this desire- we must endorse this good, and focus on our breathing, and on the good- and purposely manifest the good desire apart from the evil we have been deluded into thinking is our body's desire, and push the evil desire away- be enlarging the good- and by prayer, sacraments- and the purpose of good.

Desires, and actions are not the same thing. To endorse a desire however is an action, and to fight one also is. To have an evil desire is only sin- if we do not immediately try to combat it when we realize what is happening in some valid extent. Not every desire should be acted on- for instance- the body might desire more food - having already eaten- but this is because we have lied to it, by eating too much in the past, or simply the natural desire to preserve the body's life. All desires should be dealt with in right proportion, some followed, some avoided.

When we next are tempted to sin- we must realize, we are not purely spiritual, we are also physical- otherwise we could not be judged on physical actions we take.