Monday, September 22, 2008
The Worth of a Soul (Revised Reflection)
A soul. One soul. The union of a physical body and an eternal spirit. That is the definition of a soul. The spirit is eternal. The body is not. Is the spirit worth eternally more than the body? Possibly. Although without the body, the spirit is damned. Without the body, the spirit can become only a fraction of what the soul can become. What can the soul become? What can it achieve? What is the worth of a soul? One Pine tree? It’s great limbs stretch towards the heavens with a deep green hue that is undimmed by the passing of the seasons. Without outside influences, it will stand decades longer than any human body will. Yet God describes a human soul of more worth than a pine tree. What of an entire forest? Hundreds, thousands of massive, aged trees cover the face of a mountainside. A river flows through their midst as they stand resolute. Creatures of all kinds take shelter in their shade, and food from their limbs. There are few spectacles more glorious than taking in the setting of the sun across a vast stretch of brilliant oaken pillars. Is one human soul worth more than all of that? Yes, it is. What of an infant’s soul? Or an aged man’s? A homeless beggar’s? Or a vile, greedy conspirator? What is the worth of these souls? Christ is the creator of all things. He pulled up the mountains. He planted the trees. He drew the river’s water. He painted the colors of the sun. He animated the creatures that take comfort therein. He did all of this, and could easily do it again and again. For these he worked, and gave of His time, His thought, and His energy. And in the end he saw them all and said they were good. What did He do, or what did He give for the human soul? He died for it. He sacrificed himself for it. He gave everything He had for it, and the immensity of that sacrifice caused Him to bleed at every pore and pray to His Father that He might not do it if there were any other way. The infinite and eternal sacrifice of the only Begotten Son of the Eternal God, that is the worth of a soul. Every soul. Our soul. How can we live as we are worth? How can we live worthy?
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3 comments:
I like the form this piece takes in that it begins with questions, gives some direct information and thought, then ends with questions. Were you doing that format on purpose? Do you infer by this format that, though we strive for answers to eternal questions, we are still left with more questions? I also like the "painted the colors of the sun" part. Solid, homes.
I love your description of Christ's creation. I'd never pictured those acts quite like that before. I also like your use of questions. You're not just giving us answers (maybe because you don't have them), but making us think for ourselves.
This is a thoughtful piece. I like the way you augment from one word, to two words, to a phrase, in defining the word "soul." Is this a McKay essay in embryo?
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