IT’S A question we have to ask ourselves from time to time. It is to see to it that we are feeding ourselves correctly. Especially these days when a lot of people take keen interest in their diets, we have to realize that we should not just feed our body. Much more important than our body is our soul that also needs to be properly nourished.
In the end, we can say that what and how we feed ourselves can determine whether we are merely a carnal man or a spiritual man as we are supposed to be. This distinction was made by St. Paul (cfr. 1 Cor 2-3) to make us realize that while each one of us is indeed one single person, we are made up of at least two different constituent parts that need to be properly fed.
We just cannot feed one and neglect the other. Both have to be properly fed, though of the two, our spiritual soul has greater importance than our body, since the soul is what truly gives life, what immediately connects us to the true source of life and everything that is good, and that is the spirit of God. (cfr. Jn 6, 63)
The body depends on the soul, though the condition of the body can also affect the condition of the soul in some way. That is why we have to take care of our body also, seeing to it that it becomes increasingly spiritual and not just purely carnal. For the body to be spiritual means that it obeys the will and ways of God, rather than just the law and the prudence of the flesh and the world.
While at the beginning when God created Adam and Eve, there was unity and harmony between the body and soul, that unity was damaged because of sin. There is now the need for us to reestablish that lost unity and harmony. Thus, if we have to consider our Christian faith regarding our human condition now, there are times when we need to starve the body in order to nourish the soul.
How then do we feed our spiritual soul? By making many acts of faith, hope and charity, which in the first place are God’s gifts to us, so we can start sharing our life with his. We have to remember that God is the source, the end and everything in our life. We need to connect with him. In fact, we need to identify ourselves with him because we are supposed to be his image and likeness.
And to keep our life in the loop of faith, hope and charity, we need to pray, to really know the mind of God through Christ who is the fullness of the revelation of God to us. We need to read the gospels, familiarize and start to assimilate the teachings and example of Christ.
We certainly have to learn how to make sacrifices, and to avail ourselves of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist where Christ makes himself totally available to us. There should be a growing awareness in us that we are increasingly becoming like Christ, having his mind, his reactions to things, etc.
So we have to see to it that we spend time feeding our soul just as we spend time and use the appropriate means to feed our body./PN
