The Precious Soul

Fr. Dr. Andria Saria

Dear beloved brothers and sisters, Today I would like to speak about life according to the Gospel.

In the Gospel, the word "life" is understood in a deep and elevated way. Often, it is closely

connected with the soul. We hear these words in the Gospel: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his life? For what can a man give in return for his life?” (Mark 8:36–37).

When I preach about these words, I understand "life" as the soul. The soul is

something extremely precious. But before we speak more about the soul, let us

notice something important. There are two great mysteries that humanity has

always tried to understand: the world and the soul. Yet even after centuries of

thought, people still cannot fully understand either of them.

Human thinking is usually limited to what we see with our eyes. We trust

what we see, yet even what we see we often misunderstand. Sometimes we

exaggerate it; sometimes we interpret it wrongly. But when we speak about the

soul, the difficulty becomes even greater. The soul is a mystery that cannot be

easily explained or fully understood.

The world and the soul are two realities about which it is difficult for the

living to speak with certainty. Perhaps those who have already passed from this life

understand them better. Job once said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I shall return.” Yet even such words we sometimes doubt. Is it normal

for a believer to think this way? Many people wish that those who have died could

send us messages telling us what happens after death. Yet when witnesses have

spoken about these realities, people have often refused to listen. Lazarus was one

such witness. The Apostle Paul also experienced heavenly visions, yet even his

testimony is sometimes difficult for people to accept.

So we must ask: what do we lose when we lose our soul? What does it mean

to lose the soul? And how can we find balance between the spiritual and the earthly

aspects of life? In truth, we should not divide the human person into soul and body as if they

were enemies. The problem is not the body itself, but the difference between

spiritual life and earthly attachment.

When God created the animals, Scripture says that He saw that it was good.

But when He created the human being, the Bible records something different:

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’”

(Genesis 1:26).

The Church Fathers were deeply struck by these words. Saint Gregory of

Nyssa wrote with amazement that all other creatures were brought into existence

by a simple command of God. But when God created the human being, He began

with a kind of divine counsel. Everything else was created by the word “Let it be.”

Yet for the human being, God acted in a special way. He formed the body from the

dust of the earth with His own hands, and then He breathed into the human being

the breath of life.

This reveals something very important: no other creature was created in the

image of God. This honor belongs only to the human person.

What do we imagine when we think about the Kingdom of Heaven, the joy

of paradise, and the glory of the righteous? These realities are nothing other than

the vision of the face of God. The beauty of God is so great that the angels

themselves desire to behold it forever. As the Apostle Peter says, even the angels

long to look upon these mysteries. They gaze with longing at the inexhaustible

source of divine light.

Yet this joy cannot be truly explained in words. A person must experience

it personally. We have been given only one soul. If we had many souls, perhaps the

loss of one would not be so terrible. But we possess only one. For the sake of this

one soul, the heavens move, the sun shines, the earth produces its fruit, plants grow,

and animals appear. For the sake of the human soul, paradise was planted, and the

Kingdom of Heaven has been prepared with eternal joy, boundless glory, and all

the blessings of everlasting life—those things which, as Scripture says, “eye has

not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man.”

Let us remember the example of the righteous Job. In a single moment, he

lost everything. Raiders stole part of his livestock; lightning destroyed the rest. A

powerful wind destroyed his home. His sons and daughters died suddenly. He

himself became poor, sick, and covered with painful sores. He lay outside the city,

suffering in great pain under the burning sun by day and the cold of night.

Job lost everything: his wealth, his children, and his health. Yet in truth, he believed

he had lost nothing because he had not lost his soul. And so he said: “Naked I

came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return.”

We often care very carefully about things that are not truly essential. If we

have an animal, we protect that animal from the sun, from the wind, and from every

danger. If we possess a precious stone, we guard it carefully and would even hide it

close to our heart. Yet our salvation does not depend on such things. Why then do

we sometimes neglect our soul, when our eternal happiness depends entirely upon

it?

There is an ancient story about Alcibiades, who was exiled from Athens.

After many years, the Athenians needed his help in war and sent messengers

promising him safety. Yet he refused to return. A friend asked him, “How can you

refuse when your entire homeland calls you back and promises your safety?”

Alcibiades answered that he could give everything to his homeland, but he could not

not entrust his life to anyone, not even to his own mother, because he had only one

life.

If people protect their temporary earthly life with such care, how much more should we protect our immortal soul?

Everything in this world will pass away. Wealth, beauty, and honor will

disappear. Scripture says that all human glory is like grass that withers. But the

soul alone remains immortal.

If I lose material possessions, I may regain them. If I lose honor, I may

restore it. If I lose freedom, I may redeem it. Even if I lose my earthly life, I

believe in the resurrection of the dead. But if I lose my soul, there is no price that

can redeem it and no medicine that can heal it.

Life on Earth is like a journey. On this path we walk among spiritual dangers

—like snakes and scorpions. The snakes represent demons, and the poison

represents sin. Yet there is a remedy. In the Old Testament, when the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they were attacked by poisonous snakes, and many died. Then God commanded Moses

to make a bronze serpent and lift it upon a pole. The Holy Fathers explain that this

pole had the form of a cross. Whoever looked at it after being bitten did not die.

This was a prophecy and a symbol of the Cross of Jesus Christ. The serpent

represents sin and the power of evil, which was defeated on the Cross. If we look

to the Cross, that is, if we sincerely repent, we will not perish but will be saved.

The creation of the world itself is an act of divine love. God gave us the ability to

pray and speak with Him. Even after humanity fell into sin, God did not abandon

us. He opened before us the path of spiritual perfection and revealed to us the

Kingdom of Heaven.

The greatest sign of God’s love is His Cross. The Cross is the sun of love. The Cross and the Crucifixion are the foundation of our faith and the foundation of our life.

If we do not sacrifice something for others in our daily lives, our faith grows

weak, our hope disappears, and our love dies. To remain faithful believers, we must

always try to give something for others, to help others, and to carry their burdens.

When a person seeks only personal happiness and forgets about others, true

happiness never comes. The soul remains empty and cold. Even if a person

experiences all the pleasures of the world, there will still be a feeling of emptiness

and sadness, as if a dark veil covers the heart.

But those who give their lives for others are the happiest people. Especially blessed are those who carry the cross of suffering for Christ. In the life of Saint Perpetua, a Roman noblewoman and martyr, she writes about her imprisonment. She was thrown into a dark underground prison where the

air was filled with the smell of death and decay. This noblewoman, who once lived

in luxury and was carried through the streets by servants, now lay in a filthy prison

among the dying. Yet she wrote: “Never in my life have I been so happy as now,

when I suffer for Christ. This prison seems to me like paradise.”

Another story tells of a robber who was about to be executed. A monk came

with the crowd to watch the execution. The condemned man asked him why he had

come. The monk answered that he often forgot about death and came to remind

himself that death awaits every person. The robber replied: “Do you not know that

since Christ came, no one truly dies? Those who repent receive eternal life.”

It seems that this robber repented sincerely in his final days, and God allowed him

to feel forgiveness and the hope of eternal life before his death.

Finally, there is a story from the monastic tradition about an abbot who

prayed that all the monks under his care would share eternal life with him. One

day, while traveling, he saw a wounded man lying on the road, bleeding and asking

for help. The wounded man said that monks had already passed by but had not

helped him. The abbot lifted the man onto his shoulders and carried him toward a

village where he could receive help. The burden was heavy at first, but with each

step it became lighter until it disappeared completely. Then the abbot heard a voice

from heaven saying, “You pray that your disciples may receive eternal life, but your deeds are not

the same as theirs. If you want your prayer to be fulfilled, teach them to act

as you act. I am the righteous Judge, and I reward each person according to

his deeds.”

Dear brothers and sisters, this reminds us that the soul is our greatest

treasure. We must guard it carefully through faith, repentance, love, and sacrifice

for others. Only in this way can we preserve our souls and inherit the eternal life

prepared for us in the Kingdom of God.