To explain the concept of the immortality of the soul and to encourage a dignified living of life.

During the last week of Easter, we will discuss one of the six truths of our religion every day. As an echo of the biggest holiday of the year. 

Let me start with a question. Do you know which athletes are the holiest? …they are said to be cyclists because they constantly take care of their souls (on a bicycle). Yes, it is meant as a joke, but at the same time, it expresses a great truth. It expresses that we too should constantly take care of our souls. Well, not the one we have in the tire of our car or bicycle, but the one that is part of our personality, our self – the immortal soul that animates our mortal body.

Lord Jesus said on a certain occasion: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). The human soul is immortal; this is the fifth truth from the small Confession of Faith. Biblical speech does not recognize the term “immortality of the soul”. If he mentions immortality, then only about God. There is no expectation of an afterlife in the Old Testament, but the dead exist in Sheol; the book of Wisdom and the book of Sirach’s son tells about the immortality of the whole man. Words that are used in the Old Testament to refer to the soul (nefesh – throat, waist; literally breath, life), to the spirit (ruach – wind, breath, spirit, life force, life), to the body (bass – flesh, body, kinship, family) mean the whole person. There is no contradiction between them: nefesh and ruach = man about God; man does not have a body, but he is a body, he does not have a spirit, but he is a spirit that is open to God. Both mean the whole human person. The body is not the prison of the soul, nor the source of sin, as taught by the ancient philosopher Plato. When the soul and body form a unity, the old idea that death is the separation of the soul from the body falls away. So death is an event that affects the whole person. So what about the immortality of the soul? Philosophers explain the immortality of the soul by its simplicity. It cannot be divided, it cannot disintegrate, and it cannot therefore disappear. Theology explains it better. Man cannot perish because God knows and loves him. And since all love tends to permanence, God’s love not only wants permanence but also causes it. Let’s face it, isn’t it beautiful to know that I will not perish because God knows about me, created me, and loves me? I am God’s property and therefore I will not perish. I can respond to God’s love with my love, I can believe: “Whoever believes in the Son already has eternal life” (John 3:15). Faith in immortality is a joyful certainty for us Christians. Despite the above, faith in immortality remains by faith and not by knowledge. It cannot be proved by scientific experiments. No surgeon will find the soul as an organ in the human body. No one can prove by experiments in the laboratory that the soul cannot be killed, or broken, that it is immortal. It is and will remain a part of our faith in God, a part of our Creed, that I believe in the resurrection of the body and eternal life. It is part of the belief that the God of our beginning – the Creator, is also the God of our end – the Finisher God. God is Alpha and Omega.

We already know that our life does not end with death. On the contrary, it is just beginning. And thanks to God who gifted us with an immortal soul. The question is appropriate: What will our life look like after death? It will look exactly as we design it in this earthly life. At the end of the ages, God will pay everyone a just wage for his earthly stewardship. He will weigh our deeds justly. Which way will the weight of our life lean? To the one where all the good we have done during our journey to the heavenly homeland is located? Or to the one where all the evil that we have committed and at the same time the good that we have not done, are neglected?! What path do we follow to reach our eternal goal? After a wide, which is tempting at first glance, but treacherous? Or along the narrow path recommended by Jesus?! The world we live in offers us many paths. He promises us that he will fulfill all our desires. Even if we reach the goal – the fulfillment of some desire, we will always lack something, because the world offers us only the earthly: wealth, fame, success, career… Can the world give us love or eternal life? Probably hard! “After all, what good would it do a man if he gained the whole world and harmed his soul?! Or what will a man exchange his soul for?!” (Mt 16:26)Let’s embark on the path of holiness, the path to the kingdom of God, which is nothing but following Christ. When we look at any part of his life, we always find a pattern of how Jesus behaves and what he does. And this can be done by each of us; but if we do not know Jesus’ life well, we will not know how to follow him. That is why we need to get to know his life more and more deeply. This is how we learn to fulfill God’s will from Jesus. By fulfilling God’s will, we follow Christ and walk step by step, each with his daily cross, into the kingdom of God.

A young palm tree grew on the edge of the oasis. One day a man walked by who had a mania for destroying everything. He saw a small tree, took a heavy stone, and placed it in the crown of the tree. Then he went on. Palma tried in every possible way to shed this burden but to no avail. The stone sat firmly in her crown. The palm tree did not want to give up so easily: it planted strong roots and went deeper and deeper into the ground to ensure a rm support. So she came across a water vein, from there she drew strength and growth. Only now did she notice that it was growing? It soon became the biggest and most beautiful palm tree in the area. Years later, the evil man passed by again and wanted to see the work of his destruction. He imagined that he would find some small, deformed tree. Suddenly, the most beautiful palm tree approached him, showed him the stone, and said: “Thank you, man. Your burden has made me strong.”

Even on our shoulders, the devil often places a burden that we think we can no longer bear and we often give up. But let’s realize one thing that the Lord God allows, but does not abandon. That is why he sent us his Son, who is the water vein that we should tap into. Let’s draw life-giving power from it, like the palm tree in the story. When we live from Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, then we will find that we are really growing and our life will be a real life; experiencing God’s kingdom already here on earth. Let’s not allow the Evil Spirit to destroy us – destroy us. Let us keep in mind the words of Jesus: “Do not be afraid of them; which kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). An old Latin proverb says: “Quidquid agis, prudent agas et respice finem!” “Whatever you do, do it wisely and with a focus on the goal!” Let’s remember that our goal is a blissful residence in the heavenly kingdom, the salvation of our immortal soul.

What is the good news of today’s word of God? The soul cannot be killed. The human personality is immortalized by God’s love. So what awaits us when we reach the end of this life? Nothing? – Not! Everything – that is: God! God in all his goodness, as revealed to us by his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. So let’s confess together that we believe in God the Creator, that we believe in God the Finisher, and that we believe in eternal life.