Sermons from the Latins/Sermon 47
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost.
The Value of the Soul.
" Seek ye, therefore, first the kingdom of God and His justice and all these things shall be added unto you." — Matt. vi. 33.
SYNOPSIS.
Ex. : I. Body and soul. II. Self-preservation. III. Sinners and saints.
I. Soul exists: 1. Image of God. 2. Life principle. 3. Truth and justice.
II. Soul's value: 1. Compared to world. 2. Christ's reply. 3. Riches, honors, pleasures.
III. In itself: 1. Richly endowed. 2. Devil's estimate. 3. God's estimate.
Per.: 1. Saints. 2. Single, married, old. 3. Worldling, drunkard, impure.
SERMON.
Seek ye, therefore, first the eternal salvation of thine immortal soul, and a merciful God will provide all other things necessary for the temporal support of thy perishable body. In these words, my Brethren, is contained a brief resume of the entire lesson of to-day's Gospel. Therein we are first tacitly reminded that every human being born into this world is composed of a twofold element — of a body and of a soul — of a body that comes from the earth through our parents to us — and of a soul that comes, not from the earth, but comes directly from the hand of God— of a body that shall one day go down again to the dust from which it sprang — and of a soul that shall one day return to the bosom of its Creator. Each of these elements has its own wants and its own necessities, which, in obedience to Nature's first law of self-preservation, the composite man is bound to respect and provide for. The body demands its bodily food and drink and clothing, and the soul demands the spiritual food of Christ's flesh, and the spiritual drink of Christ's blood, and the spiritual clothing of God's divine grace. But according as men are more worldly or more spiritual, so are they more solicitous in providing for the wants of the body or of the soul, so that mankind is, and always has been, and ever will be, divided into two great classes — worldlings and saints — the votaries of the body and the votaries of the soul — the slaves of Mammon and the servants of God. Now, since, according to St. Paul, the law of the flesh is directly opposed to the law of the spirit; since " whosoever is not with Christ is against Him," therefore, I say, the worldling cannot be a saint and the saint cannot be a worldling, for no man can serve two masters; no man can at the same time serve God and Mammon. But alas, what a choice does man make I He prefers to serve the body that he seeth, rather than the soul that he seeth not. He forgets that his body is a perishable thing like the grass of the field or the birds of the air, entirely subject,, like them, to God's beneficent providence. He fails to realize that the service of his soul is, in importance, as far above the service of his body as is spirit above matter, as is heaven above earth. Hence Christ in to-day's Gospel cries out to mankind: "Two things, and two only, there are in this world of priceless value — God and thine own soul. Seek, therefore, first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all other things shall be added unto you."
Brethren, allow me this morning to follow out this sublime train of thought suggested by my divine Master. Let me speak to you of the value of the human soul. I want each one of you to ask himself three questions: First, have I a soul? Second, What is the value of my soul? Third, Does it appear from the life I am leading that I fully apprpciate the value of my soul?
Have I a soul? Every Ash- Wednesday morning the priest sprinkles ashes on my head and says to me: "Remember, man, that thou art dust and into dust thou shalt return." " I heard a voice," says the Prophet Isaias, "I heard a voice saying to me, cry; and I said, Lord, what shall I cry? and it answered: All flesh is as grass and the flowers of the field, which to-day is and to-morrow is not." " Man born of woman to-day," says holy Job, "liveth a short time and then fleeth away like a shadow — like a bird flying through the air, or a ship sailing through the water, he passeth away and leaveth not a trace behind." What! when I die shall I cease to exist? Is there nothing in me more lasting than this clay body of mine? An ungodly science answers, " No; there is nothing." " I have dissected many a man," says a learned surgeon, " but I have never found a soul." But religion answers: " It is false." True science crys out, " I will not wholly die." The great human family assents I have a soul. We read in Genesis that God made man of the slime of the earth, to His own image and likeness did He make him. Now, is man's body an image of the living God? A clod of earth the image of a pure spirit — a mass of bone and flesh and blood the image of an angel! No; if man is like unto his God the likeness must be in that breath of life, which Genesis further tells us God breathed into the face of the new-made Adam. And that breath to be like God must, like Him, be a spirit; and to bear the stamp of the Blessed Trinity, it must have the three faculties of memory, understanding, and free will. Now that is exactly what I mean by a human soul; a pure spirit endowed with memory, understanding, and free will. My body, therefore, is dust, and into dust it shall return, but my soul is a spirit that came from God and shall return to God. My body was born of mortal woman, and like her shall die, but my soul was born of God, who liveth forever and ever. My soul is a spirit and invisible, and so cannot be seen by the doctor's eyes nor touched by his knife. Let me place a live man and a corpse side by side, and let me ask that learned physician wherein they differ. " One," he says, "has life, the other is dead." But what is life but the action of the soul in the body, just as the ringing of an electric bell is the action of the electricity in the metal. There is no life without a soul. The trees in my garden have souls — my horse and my dog have souls — and I? Oh, I am not inferior to them, I, too, have a soul. Aye, and a soul far nobler than theirs — not a mere vegetative soul like the tree, nor a mere animal soul like the dog, but a rational, an immortal soul. Their souls are imprisoned in their bodies, and so tightly locked in that when the prison-house of their body falls, prisoner and prison perish together; but my soul, though a prisoner in my body, is still unfettered, so that the destruction of my body brings to my soul, not death, but freedom. Hence it is that we hear St. Paul exclaim: " O God, I long for death that I may begin to live with Thee." The death of the body is only the beginning of the true life of the soul, for my soul is immortal — it can never die. For why do I fear death? Is it not because Nature has implanted in me an ardent desire to live forever? Most assuredly. Now Nature does not do things in vain. If there was no such thing as sound, she would not have given me ears to hear; if there was no light or color, she would not have given me eyes to see; if there was no such thing as truth in the world, why should she have given me a mind to know the truth; and if there was no everlasting life for my soul, why should she give my soul a natural longing for it? Yes; unless my soul is immortal, Nature is a liar. Nay, in that case, even Nature's God Himself would be false, for God has promised to render to every man according to his works; to reward the virtuous and to punish the wicked. But what do I see? I look around me and I see a world of saints and sinners — the saints living in poverty and wretchedness all their lives, the sinners affluent and happy. Oh, surely virtue does not always get its reward nor vice its punishment in this world; and so God's words would be false and His justice a mere mockery, were there no hereafter of happiness for the good and of misery for the wicked. If my soul is to die with my body, religion is a humbug, laws do not bind; I can plunder and outrage and kill and give free play to all the worst inclinations of my nature; for if there is no hereafter why not enjoy this life to the full? Why fear man? Why fear God? Believers have ever held the doctrine of a hereafter, and unbelievers, while denying it with the lips, have confessed it in their lives and in their inmost souls. Even the poor untutored savage laid him down to die with a prayer on his lips, and a firm hope in his heart of waking in the happy hunting-grounds. Yes, my soul, I feel that I possess thee, and that thou canst never die; that thou art not made of perishable matter, like my body, but art a pure spirit; that of thine own nature thou art immortal, and that God will never annihilate thee; that, as He has promised, He will render to thee in the last day according to thy deeds; reward thee, if good, with eternal happiness, and condemn thee, if wicked, to the everlasting pains of hell.
If, therefore, I have a soul, and that soul is immortal, what, I next ask myself, what is the value of this soul of mine? For an answer, let me in spirit raise myself above my earthly surroundings; let me, as it were, climb up in spirit half-way to heaven, and there meet my God and there say to Him: " Lord, teach me the value of my own soul! " What does He answer? "Lay not up to thyself perishable treasures on earth, but lay up to thyself everlasting treasures in heaven. For what will it profit thee if thou gainest the whole world and suffer the loss of thine own soul, or what exchange shalt thou give for thy soul? " True, Lord, the world would profit me nothing without my soul. It would not be a fair exchange. My soul longs for God and will not rest satisfied with anything short of God Himself. Here, then, standing before the Most High, I recognize that there are in the whole world of things, just two, and only two things, of prime importance to me, viz., God and my own soul. All other things over and above these two are mere trifles. Remember that passage of the Gospel where we are told the devil tempted Our Lord; where he took Our Lord into a high place . and showed Him all the riches and pleasures and honors of the world, and said to Him: " All this will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me." But Our Lord answered him: "Begone, Satan." I, too, were the devil to come to me at this moment and offer me the whole world in exchange for my soul, would imitate my Lord and answer: "Begone, Satan, for what doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul? " For what are material and temporal goods in comparison with the spiritual and eternal? "I have seen all things that are under the sun," says the Wise Man, " but vanity of vanities, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." Hence he immediately adds: "One thing, therefore, and one thing only have I asked of the Lord that I [i.e., his soul] may dwell in the house of the Lord [i.e., heaven] all the days of my life." What then is the one great work I have to do here on earth? To bring God to my soul by sanctifying it, and to bring my soul to God by saving it. If I am born into this World, and live and die and save not my soul, all is lost. It matters not if I have been the greatest man that ever lived; if worldly fame has written success in letters of gold on my tombstone; oh, it availeth nothing if I have not saved my soul, for the recording angel will erase my name from the Book of Life with her tears and will write " failure " in its stead. But, on the other hand, if I save my soul all is gained. What matters it if I am poor and miserable here if I am to be happy forever hereafter? Time is but a moment compared to eternity. And, oh, remember and remember, and again I say, remember, that I have only one soul which can be lost only once, but, once lost, it is lost forever. I will, therefore, first seek the kingdom of God and His justice, and all other things I will take as they come, saying, with the indifference of holy Job: "The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away. Blest be the name of the Lord." Riches — pshaw! — had I all the riches of the world I would still long for something more. The rust, the moth, and the burglar would make me uneasy, and fickle fortune would keep me in constant dread of poverty. No, I will seek heavenly treasures where the rust and the moth do not consume, nor the thief break through and steal. I will not imitate Martha, who was solicitous about her household affairs when Our Lord visited her, but I will follow her sister Mary and sit at the feet of my Lord and hear from His lips these consoling words: " Child, thou hast chosen the better part." Riches I would "have to leave behind, and how could they help my soul in the next world when they cannot even preserve my body from decay in this world? Alas! it will profit me little to have much wealth stored up for many years, for no sooner shall I have begun to eat, drink, and be merry, than my Lord shall say to me: "Thou fool, this very night shall I demand thy soul of thee." No, riches that are not used for that one all-important thing — my soul's salvation— are worse than useless. But honors! Should I sell my soul for them? Honors! What do they contribute to the shaping of my eternal destiny? Each new title is a chain binding me closer to earth, widening the gulf between me and my God. What doth it profit me to stand up and receive the smiles and applause of an admiring world, if I am an enemy of God? if the angels are weeping over my sins? if the devil with fiendish glee is preparing a place in hell for my immortal soul? St. Francis Zazara when a boy at school was filled with a longing for worldly honors. One day he met St. Philip Neri and the venerable old man asked him: "Francis, what do you intend to be? " " I will be the genius of the school and bear off all the honors." " And then?" "I will be a priest." "And then?" "I will be a bishop." "And then?" "I will be a cardinal." " And then? " " Pope." " And then? " " I shall die, I suppose." "And then?" Ah, what then, what then? On the answer to that last then depends an eternity of happiness or an eternity of misery. But worldly pleasures— could I exchange my soul for a life of pleasure? Oh, no, for the highest carnal pleasure is as pain compared to the joys of heaven. God tells me that " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive what joys He has prepared for those who love Him." And shall I forfeit all that for a low, sensual gratification which I indulge in one moment only to repent of it the next? Time is but a moment compared to eternity, and so I am the most foolish of fools if for a momentary gratification I sacrifice an eternity of joy and incur an eternity of misery. Think of Lazarus and Dives. Dives was a rich man who feasted sumptuously every day and gave not a thought to God or the value of his own soul, and Lazarus was a beggar dying of starvation on the rich man's doorstep, with never a friend in all the world but an old dog that licked his sores. They both died — Lazarus on the doorstep and Dives at his table. What was the lot of each? Lazarus, the Gospel tells us, was taken up into Abraham's bosom, but Dives was buried in hell. Then the rich man's soul cried from hell: "Father Abraham, send Lazarus to give me one drop of water to quench my burning thirst." But God answered him: " No, for between you and him there lies an infinite abyss separating you forever." O Dives, lost soul, you who enjoyed all the favors the world could give, do they profit thee nothing now? Nothing. All thy riches, honors, and pleasures, do they profit thee nothing now? Nothing. O Lazarus, blest soul, whence comes thy present happiness? Because I held the world at its true value — because I knew that the one thing I had to gain in heaven was my God, and the most precious thing I had on earth was my own soul.
But let me turn my eyes from earthly things to my own soul and ask, what is its value? Were my father a great man in the eyes of the world I would participate in his greatness, for he gave me being and I bear his likeness. Now, God is a being of infinite greatness and you, my soul, are His son, made to His image and likeness. You are, therefore, in a way, infinitely precious. Each person of the Trinity has vied with the other in showering on my soul His choicest gifts. The Father gave it an independent existence; the Son, an intellect to know the loftiest truth; and the Holy Ghost, a will to love and desire an infinite good. David, speaking of the soul's creation, cries out: "A little less, O Lord, a little less than the angels hast Thou made her." The soul, like the angels, is a pure spirit, and one particle of a spiritual substance is more precious in the sight of God than the whole material universe. So beautiful indeed is she that God has said He loves to come and dwell in the souls of men. And my soul feels the dignity of her nature. She spurns this world and its honors as unworthy of her, and turns to God as the one and only being worthy of her love. She knows her high destiny; that she has been created to know and enjoy God forever. So whether she will or no, she is forced to exclaim with the Psalmist: " As the famished and hunted stag thirsts after the fountains of water, so do I thirst and pant after Thee, my God." Again, let me go down into hell and ask Satan what is the value of my soul. "Value!" he cries, " I would give ten thousand worlds for one human soul. Night and day, and day and night, I roam the world seeking souls. All the schemes and artifices which the malice of an angelic intelligence can devise I employ to entrap these precious souls. Value! Why, your soul is so precious that in the hope of gaining it I would and do defy and contend with the power of almighty God Himself." Finally, let me turn to God and ask what is the value of my soul? Ah! if God had never created but one human soul, my own for instance, He would still have done as much to gain it to Himself as He has done to gain all mankind. He would have created the earth and heavens; the sun, moon, and stars, and all the glory thereof, for my individual use. He would have held out to me all those favors and graces He now pours out to all. He would have come down from heaven and become man and raised the human soul to such a union with God as no angel can ever enjoy. He would have suffered and poured out the last drop of His precious blood for my soul alone. He would have forgiven me sins for less than which He damned whole legions of angels, and He would have instituted for my sake alone that banquet to which not even the angels are admitted — the Blessed Eucharist. There, oh, my soul, is the price God has paid for you! There is your value in His sight! Far above all earthly things by virtue of your nature; infinitely precious in the ransom paid for you; higher than the highest angel in your glorious destiny.
Brethren, that is the value of my soul. Does it appear from the life I lead that I appreciate its value? Alas and alack! I fear the vast majority of us will have to answer No. When we look at the saints of God who succeeded in thoroughly realizing that great truth that for each of us the only two things worth attending to are God and his own soul — when we consider the lives they lived to bring their souls to God, do we feel we are following their example? What will become of me, a sinner, since even the saints tremble for their destiny? It is not enough to serve my body all my life, and in the few last moments of my existence turn my thoughts to God and my own soul. No, I must begin now. I must begin here to-day. If I am a young single man or woman I must remember that all the pleasures of the world will profit me nothing if I lose my soul. The young married couple must remember that honors and social distinctions are worthless, if they lose their souls. The old people must remind themselves that all their riches will desert them at their death, and will avail them not, if, awaking in eternity, they find they have lost their souls. What shall I say of the man who is so taken up with worldly affairs that he has no time for spiritual matters — who never utters a prayer nor goes to Mass, nor reconciles himself to God in the sacraments of confession and communion? Alasl he has forgotten the value of his soul — yea, he has actually forgotten he has a soul at all. What shall I say of the drunkard? He remembers he has a soul and he knows its value, but he puts it out of the way — he poisons it with alcohol — drowns it in the wine goblet, and buries it in the vile grave of his own filthy body. What shall I say of the impure? Ah! he is the worst of all, for he has forgotten not only that he has an immortal soul, but even that he has a human body — he has become a brute beast. His soul, that celestial spirit within him, faints at the abomination it beholds — an angel imprisoned in a hog-pen — an angel and a devil going through life bound neck and neck. Oh, Brethren, do not leave this church to-day till you have pondered well these two words — God and my own soul. Bear them in your minds and hearts — keep them ever before your eyes, and let them be the watchwords of your lives — God and my own soul — God and my own soul — for what will it profit me if I gain the whole world and suffer the loss of my God and my own soul? God and my own soul! God and my own soul!