In the inspired book of our origins, called Genesis, God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” and in the next verse, the word was carried out: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.” Significantly for our own times, the Holy Spirit inspired the author also to record that “male and female he created them.” (Gen 1.26,27)

The penny catechism teaches that “This likeness to God is chiefly in my soul.” The soul is not a material thing but something entirely different, a spiritual creation which makes us to be human persons. (Also in our body because Christ is the Lord of all creation and all things are fulfilled in Him..)

We need not shy away from speaking of something that seems so deep. We do understand spiritual things. We know that our love cannot be measured by a ruler, our prayers cannot be coloured in with a pencil, our happiness cannot be weighed in scales. These things which we experience are not material but spiritual; and so also the soul is spiritual.

God creates the soul for each of us at the moment of conception. From that moment our human life is sacred, and an innocent human life may not be done away with by ourselves or by others. (Thanks be to God, the Marris Bill to legalise assisted suicide was defeated on Friday but we must be vigilant, because the supporters of euthanasia and suicide will continue their campaign.)

Understanding that we have a soul is vital to understanding how we must live, what we must do to be good, and where genuine happiness lies. Like God, our soul is immortal. Our physical death is not the end of our life and indeed God has provided that our bodies also will rise again so that we spend eternity as human persons, body and soul, not as disembodied spirits. Our happiness on earth is therefore relative to our happiness in eternity. We can only be happy here below by living in a way that prepares us for life for ever with God.

Knowing that we have a soul also teaches us what will harm us in the deepest part of our being. We experience this harm in the disordered desires consequent upon original sin. St Paul spoke of this in a down to earth way when he said,

“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me.” (Rom 7.19-20)

Our Lord is merciful to us in our spiritual weakness and he teaches us the remedy. He did not say “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him affirm himself, put down his cross and exercise mindfulness.” What he actually said, we know:

“If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk 8.34)

Our Lord knows what is best for us. He teaches us the way to overcome the wound of original sin which drags us down, and He gives us His grace to win the victory over sin and death, and prepare us for eternal life.

Sermon given by Fr Finigan at St Austin and St Gregory, Margate for the 24th Sunday of Year B. 13 September 2015