The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
(All Souls)

Matthew 25:31-46
Caring for Our Soul

On the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, I borrowed this beautiful reflection on “Caring for our souls” by Father Ron Rolheiser.

Philosophers traditionally define the soul as a dual principal present within all living beings. They view the soul as the vital force and energy within us, the inner fire that provides us with life. It is also the unifying element that binds us together.

If you have ever been at the bedside of a dying person, you know exactly when the soul leaves the body. You know the precise moment, not because you see something float away from the body, but because one minute you see a person, whatever their struggle and agony, with energy, fire, tension in their body and a minute later that body is completely inert, devoid of all energy and life. Once the soul is gone, so too are gone all life and integration. The body no longer contains any energy, and it’s no longer glued together.

Since the soul serves as a dual force, providing vitality and unity, there are two ways in which we can lose touch with our souls – by allowing our energy to stagnate or by becoming scattered and unfocused. In both scenarios, we lose our connection to our true selves.

If that is true, then it significantly impacts how we should take care of our souls. The things that are good for my soul on a specific evening depend greatly on what I’m struggling with the most that night: Am I losing my soul because I’m losing vitality, energy, hope, and graciousness in my life? Am I becoming bitter, rigid, sterile, turning into a person who’s difficult to be around? Or am I overflowing with life and energy, or am I so overwhelmed that I feel like I’m losing my sense of self? Both situations feel like a loss of soul. In the first scenario, the soul needs more fire, something to reignite its energy. In the latter case, there’s already too much fire; it needs some cooling down and some stability.

In this life, we already have the power to nurture and strengthen our souls – the God-given life inside us by cultivating passion and purpose, or by fostering connection and resilience.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2024