Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell. (Matthew 10:28)
Moreover, with the approval of the said council, we reject as erroneous and contrary to the truth of the catholic faith every doctrine or proposition rashly asserting that the substance of the rational or intellectual soul is not of itself and essentially the form of the human body, or casting doubt on this matter. In order that all may know the truth of the faith in its purity and all error may be excluded, we define that anyone who presumes henceforth to assert defend or hold stubbornly that the rational or intellectual soul is not the form of the human body of itself and essentially, is to be considered a heretic. (The Council of Vienne)
They therefore that received his word, were baptized; and there were added in that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41)Soul refers to an object. A couple of synonyms of object are thing and entity. Object is defined as that which has form. Form refers to what is bounded from an immediate surrounding. The soul is an object that stands out (i.e. exists), is 3D (could be measured in length, width and height although the act of measuring does not determine its existence), and has location that is a set of static distances to all the objects of the Universe, including God, the Sun, the stars, etc.
Although the English word ‘soul’ is translated from a variety of words used in Sacred Scripture, the soul Jesus referred to in Mathew 10:28 resolves to object, NOT a concept synonymous with life. Soul, in this context refers to an object not a concept i.e. a relation of two or more objects worked out by the brain. And frankly it does not matter what we name this object. It could be named spirit or whatever. What matters is the distinction that the referent of this name has form. From here we go on to describe this object and think about it using the Sacred Script, Church teaching and reason.
The Council of Vienne (1312) taught that the soul assumes the form of the body of itself and essentially. Some philosophers of the past speculated that there was one universal soul fused to all humans which would imply that this one soul had vast boundaries including the location of all humans on Earth. The Council of Vienne checked this error by explicitly and infallibly teaching that the form of the soul, which is synonymous with what is bound or contained, of itself is that of the body. So the the boundaries ... what is bound, contained, demarcated, delineated, etc. of the soul is that of the body. Soul and body perfectly superpose and fuse in an intimate union. The soul has the same three dimensions (of itself essentially) as the human body.
The soul is fundamental to a human person as is the body. As the body develops, the soul somehow assumes the form the body until death, in Faith, defined by the Roman Catholic Church as separation of soul and body, which usually occurs around the same time as natural death perhaps when the brain stops working. As soon as the soul separates from the body, God judges the person. After separation of soul and body at death, the person awaits to be reunited with the body at the Resurrection. And who knows, God may simulate the souls of the just in some manner of experience as if they had bodies so as not to disorient them to much in the time between their deaths and the final Resurrection of all.
What is the Soul of Itself? And What Are It's Properties and Abilities?
The soul of a human has unique properties for example it can superpose with the body. This is somewhat similar to the fundamental set of objects which mediate light and gravity to and from all atoms of the Universe as well as constitute their form. A countless number of these fundamental subatomic objects can superpose, overlap and intersect up to a critical abundance, which is necessary for fundamental interactions at the atomic level. This is also similar to the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit interpenetrate one another.
Although the soul has form, the soul does not derive or assume its form from the same fundamental objects which atoms do. As far as I can reason, the soul, considered of itself independent of the body, is not permanently connected to all the atoms of the Universe by a subatomic mediator of light and of gravity, the same of which atoms assume their form. Thus the soul independent of the body is not subject to gravitational relation or continuous light phenomenon as are all atoms. In other words the soul considered of itself is not woven into the network of matter. It seems to me that the soul is comprised of that which is not found in all of Mother Nature. I will just call this soulium. This is a simple and singular form known to God. There are no subatomic objects, atoms, cells, bones, organs, etc.
An interesting idea to consider is that the soul's status as detached from matter seems to imply that it is handicapped and subject to God's will and mercy when it is separated from the body at death. It seems to me that when separated from the body it can no longer move on its own (assume two or more locations) unless God grant it the ability. This is humbling, frightening, and also an exhilarating thought that is completely different than life on this Earth.
Jesus emphasized the excellence, beauty, God-like quality, immortality and grave value of the soul. The soul’s status of being detached from all atoms is in my humble opinion one of the reasons why it is more God-like than the body. The soul is majestic, free, and out of this world in that it does not rely on the same common (assumed) fundamental entity for its existence than all atoms of the Universe do. And on top of this it is specially created and formed by God as opposed to the natural process by which the human body is formed.
The soul was in the past modified by the Magisterium as "rational" or "intellectual." The Church has consistently taught that the soul has faculties of free will and intellect. However, as we will see below, it is impossible to say that the soul, when fused to body, performs these operations in contradistinction to the body. This would imply duality in human nature.
The soul is created with a capacity to relate intimately with God in a stimulation of grace. In the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders; the Holy Spirit mystically and permanently seals the soul so that it relates to Jesus and His Church in a new manner of grace. I take this mystical marking, this spiritual character literally since the soul has form. The soul can be imprinted upon by God because it is a real object.
The soul is also described as immortal. I will do a section on this below, because it is a fitting transition into the definition of life and the question of whether or not the presence of a soul is necessary for life to happen at a base level.
Prosopon
Person refers to what I would call an abstract concept. An abstract concept, or abstraction, refers to a nest of concepts. In my humble opinion the two main branches of the nest in Person are Form and Relation. In Person, although the Relation branch is more important than the Form, Form is essential since without at least two Forms ... Relations are impossible. This of course unless we consider God where perhaps Form is Relation and Relation is Form. This is incomparable and God is a Nature unto Himself. But Person does not superpose or add another Form unto Nature or a new set of Relations, it simply narrows the focus of this Form and its Relations for our consideration.
Nature is generalization, comparability, equality, commonality, monologicality, union, sameness, harmony in Form and its Relations.
Person is uniqueness, incomparability, inequality, relativity, dialogicality, communion, singularity, opposition in Form and its Relations.
Person is dynamic, an event. The face transforms itself in relation to others. In Person we have a unique Form, like no other, that opens itself up, moves beyond itself and relates to another in a manner only it can and in doing so consummates itself. I purposely keep the 'relation' aspect undefined, since there are all sort of possible good or evil relations in the sea of humans and God. Suffice to say that this relation does not always have to happen as a giving to the other, a self-donation in some way, but also happens as a receiving from the other. For example we receive our body from our parents, and our soul from God. These events are foundational to our Person. These events alone make us special and establish an everlasting relation to God, in which He invests and commits Himself to each one of us. In these examples the concept of Person is clearly dyadic.
In God, the concept of Person is perfectly realized in the Three via the eternal event of Procession. And this event is fresh and ever new.
The soul is fundamental to a human person as is the body. As the body develops, the soul somehow assumes the form the body until death, in Faith, defined by the Roman Catholic Church as separation of soul and body, which usually occurs around the same time as natural death perhaps when the brain stops working. As soon as the soul separates from the body, God judges the person. After separation of soul and body at death, the person awaits to be reunited with the body at the Resurrection. And who knows, God may simulate the souls of the just in some manner of experience as if they had bodies so as not to disorient them to much in the time between their deaths and the final Resurrection of all.
What is the Soul of Itself? And What Are It's Properties and Abilities?
What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:25)
God the Father's Power, himself a person ... and also man who, created to resemble God's own image and likeness, has a nature which is partly seen and partly hidden from our eyes. (Procopius of Gaza, from a commentary on the Book of Proverbs)In this section I speculate about the soul of itself independent of the body.
The soul of a human has unique properties for example it can superpose with the body. This is somewhat similar to the fundamental set of objects which mediate light and gravity to and from all atoms of the Universe as well as constitute their form. A countless number of these fundamental subatomic objects can superpose, overlap and intersect up to a critical abundance, which is necessary for fundamental interactions at the atomic level. This is also similar to the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Spirit interpenetrate one another.
Although the soul has form, the soul does not derive or assume its form from the same fundamental objects which atoms do. As far as I can reason, the soul, considered of itself independent of the body, is not permanently connected to all the atoms of the Universe by a subatomic mediator of light and of gravity, the same of which atoms assume their form. Thus the soul independent of the body is not subject to gravitational relation or continuous light phenomenon as are all atoms. In other words the soul considered of itself is not woven into the network of matter. It seems to me that the soul is comprised of that which is not found in all of Mother Nature. I will just call this soulium. This is a simple and singular form known to God. There are no subatomic objects, atoms, cells, bones, organs, etc.
An interesting idea to consider is that the soul's status as detached from matter seems to imply that it is handicapped and subject to God's will and mercy when it is separated from the body at death. It seems to me that when separated from the body it can no longer move on its own (assume two or more locations) unless God grant it the ability. This is humbling, frightening, and also an exhilarating thought that is completely different than life on this Earth.
Jesus emphasized the excellence, beauty, God-like quality, immortality and grave value of the soul. The soul’s status of being detached from all atoms is in my humble opinion one of the reasons why it is more God-like than the body. The soul is majestic, free, and out of this world in that it does not rely on the same common (assumed) fundamental entity for its existence than all atoms of the Universe do. And on top of this it is specially created and formed by God as opposed to the natural process by which the human body is formed.
The soul was in the past modified by the Magisterium as "rational" or "intellectual." The Church has consistently taught that the soul has faculties of free will and intellect. However, as we will see below, it is impossible to say that the soul, when fused to body, performs these operations in contradistinction to the body. This would imply duality in human nature.
The soul is created with a capacity to relate intimately with God in a stimulation of grace. In the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders; the Holy Spirit mystically and permanently seals the soul so that it relates to Jesus and His Church in a new manner of grace. I take this mystical marking, this spiritual character literally since the soul has form. The soul can be imprinted upon by God because it is a real object.
The soul is also described as immortal. I will do a section on this below, because it is a fitting transition into the definition of life and the question of whether or not the presence of a soul is necessary for life to happen at a base level.
Prosopon
First, the concept "person" grew out of reading the Bible, as something needed for its interpretation. It is a product of reading the Bible. Secondly, it grew out of the idea of dialogue, more specifically, it grew as an explanation of the phenomenon of the God who speaks dialogically. The Bible with its phenomenon of the God who speaks, the God who is in dialogue, stimulated the concept "person." (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Concerning the Notion of Person in Theology)
... relativity toward the other constitutes the human person ... The more the person's relativity aims at its final goal, at transcendence, the more the person is itself. (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Concerning the Notion of Person in Theology)Prosopon is the original Greek word which translated to the Latin persona and ultimately our English person. In ancient times prosopon meant face and was used as an artistic device by Greeks to establish roles and dialogue in poetry and theatre. From roughly here it entered into the history of Christian thought as a need to think through the Sacred Script and was developed to help define the dogmas of the Trinity and Christology. In subsequent sections I use the concept person many times so I thought it would be a disservice to you and myself if I did not attempt to define or at least clarify this abstraction to the reader.
Person refers to what I would call an abstract concept. An abstract concept, or abstraction, refers to a nest of concepts. In my humble opinion the two main branches of the nest in Person are Form and Relation. In Person, although the Relation branch is more important than the Form, Form is essential since without at least two Forms ... Relations are impossible. This of course unless we consider God where perhaps Form is Relation and Relation is Form. This is incomparable and God is a Nature unto Himself. But Person does not superpose or add another Form unto Nature or a new set of Relations, it simply narrows the focus of this Form and its Relations for our consideration.
Nature is generalization, comparability, equality, commonality, monologicality, union, sameness, harmony in Form and its Relations.
Person is uniqueness, incomparability, inequality, relativity, dialogicality, communion, singularity, opposition in Form and its Relations.
Person is dynamic, an event. The face transforms itself in relation to others. In Person we have a unique Form, like no other, that opens itself up, moves beyond itself and relates to another in a manner only it can and in doing so consummates itself. I purposely keep the 'relation' aspect undefined, since there are all sort of possible good or evil relations in the sea of humans and God. Suffice to say that this relation does not always have to happen as a giving to the other, a self-donation in some way, but also happens as a receiving from the other. For example we receive our body from our parents, and our soul from God. These events are foundational to our Person. These events alone make us special and establish an everlasting relation to God, in which He invests and commits Himself to each one of us. In these examples the concept of Person is clearly dyadic.
In God, the concept of Person is perfectly realized in the Three via the eternal event of Procession. And this event is fresh and ever new.
In humans, the concept of Person is clearly defined and most sophisticated in the example of Mary. Her soul and body is like no other, conceived without sin and sinless, a virgin yet mother. In all her many roles: Mary relates to God, the Church, and the entire human family in a manner only she can. And this can be said vice versa. Her concept of Person sprung forth in a progression of events throughout her life, from her conception to glorious Assumption into Heaven and beyond where she dedicates her time in Heaven to us on Earth. She is the pinnacle of all human persons. And yet her concept of Person blossomed through life as an example to the rest of us.
In the sea of humans and God, we all have unique faces and relate to each other in special modes and assume different roles. And in our moving relations with each other we become who we are, and hopefully who we are meant to be. If there were only a single human on Earth and no God, the concept of the human person would be impossible. Some even say that community is for the person. Whereas if there was a single human perhaps we could compare him with plants and animals and maybe conceive a nature.
Person is an important concept in Christianity and I don't claim to understand it fully or more perfectly than those more learned, or more, than with those who exercise Magisterium. However, I will say this, it is only when I discovered the Personhood of God through Sacred Scripture and prayer that I felt like I only began to know Him. God is a Three Persons: Father, Son, Spirit and their relation to us is very personal in the full meaning of the word.
In sections below I interchange the word person with personhood and personality. They are all meant to reference the same concept. The word modifications simply make it easier to write sentences.
The Human Person
In sections below I interchange the word person with personhood and personality. They are all meant to reference the same concept. The word modifications simply make it easier to write sentences.
The Human Person
The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. (CCC 362)
spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature. (CCC 365)
Each human person, in his absolutely unique singularity, is constituted not only by his spirit, but by his body as well. Thus, in the body and through the body, one touches the person himself in his concrete reality. (St. John Paul II, Discourse to the members of the 35th General Assembly of the World Medical Association, 29 October 1983: AAS 76 (1984) 393.)
This teaching remains valid and is further confirmed, if confirmation were needed, by recent findings of human biological science which recognize that in the zygote resulting from fertilization the biological identity of a new human individual is already constituted. (Donum Vitae, Congregation for Doctrine of Faith)
The existence of the unborn is a continuum of human life and growth; it does not suddenly become human at some point. (International Theological Commision, The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized, note 127)
Consequently, as before death Christ's flesh was united personally and hypostatically with the Word of God it remained so after His death, so that the hypostasis of the Word of God was not different from that of Christ's flesh after death, as Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii). (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, Q. 50)
In this section we leave behind the idea of thinking about the soul of itself, detached from the body.
God miraculously formed the soul to superpose, interpenetrate and fuse with the body in a most thorough, intimate, perfect and to us a mystical manner. This is the norm of a human person. The soul thoroughly relates with body in a fusion to include major organs, such as the brain and the heart but also all cells, all atoms! The soul-body is a fusion of a single nature. A soul and body of a person are not half and half human. In their fusion, each fully and equally are.
The soul-body relation as far as I understand is impossible to explain by physics and philosophy or even theology. Spiritual writers like Saint John of the Cross described the relations of the soul with God and the body, however they often employed figures of speech or analogies.
Furthermore, God did not reveal how soul-body relations work throughout life. As far as I have seen there seems a lack in technical and mechanical explanation in soul-body relations. The soul is said to animate the body, but this does not seem to be clearly defined or explained by anyone. It is probably so simple and sublime beyond understanding in this our first life. How could God explain it to a lowly human? He could have but He decided not too. What I can say is that when a human thinks and acts it is his soul and body as one, that does. For a developed human person living on Earth, one cannot say the body did this and the soul did that. Then there would arise duality, and assuming Faith this is not the reality and what happens.
A human person is not a duality of soul and body, but rather a seamless union, a single nature. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is carefully and admirably worded. This is paradoxical, a mystery. In a human person one cannot deny that there are two objects, since clearly the Sacred Script and Church teach that the soul has form and separates from the body at death to go to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. Soul has form and location so it exists in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory while the body dissolves on Earth. So there are two distinct objects. On the other hand one cannot believe or imply that there is duality. Instead there a single nature. Two objects yet one object. One must assume faith, admit a mystery, and accept it because reason breaks down.
When considering soul and body there is both equality and inequality. In their fusion soul and body are equally and fully human nature. I would even go as far as saying personhood is equally and fully constituted in the body as well as in the soul. Let me give you an analogy. The mystical, intimate, and indissoluble union of the human nature to the Divine Nature of Jesus remained even after He died on the Cross. The Son of God did not split in half or cease union from his Holy Soul or from His In-corrupt Body when they separated.
I believe something similar with a human person. When the soul separates from the body at death personality does not cease. To me it would ridiculous to think a soul loses personhood when separated from the body at death. The soul still has a unique form and hopefully will still relate to God and others after death in a way only it can. On the other end of the spectrum I believe there is a person even if ensoulment possibly does not happen at conception. It is an underdeveloped human person, perhaps even without a soul and yet there is a qualified uniqueness in this little body. And this is backed up by biology. There is a unique genetic form, an independent human person springing forth to God in a transformation and relating to the mother as only it can in a basic mode of life. And the mother is relating to this little child in a basic manner. This little living creature ultimately belongs to God and originates from God via Adam and Eve. This human person belongs to the human race and has rights whether or not ensoulment occurs.
God miraculously formed the soul to superpose, interpenetrate and fuse with the body in a most thorough, intimate, perfect and to us a mystical manner. This is the norm of a human person. The soul thoroughly relates with body in a fusion to include major organs, such as the brain and the heart but also all cells, all atoms! The soul-body is a fusion of a single nature. A soul and body of a person are not half and half human. In their fusion, each fully and equally are.
The soul-body relation as far as I understand is impossible to explain by physics and philosophy or even theology. Spiritual writers like Saint John of the Cross described the relations of the soul with God and the body, however they often employed figures of speech or analogies.
Furthermore, God did not reveal how soul-body relations work throughout life. As far as I have seen there seems a lack in technical and mechanical explanation in soul-body relations. The soul is said to animate the body, but this does not seem to be clearly defined or explained by anyone. It is probably so simple and sublime beyond understanding in this our first life. How could God explain it to a lowly human? He could have but He decided not too. What I can say is that when a human thinks and acts it is his soul and body as one, that does. For a developed human person living on Earth, one cannot say the body did this and the soul did that. Then there would arise duality, and assuming Faith this is not the reality and what happens.
A human person is not a duality of soul and body, but rather a seamless union, a single nature. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is carefully and admirably worded. This is paradoxical, a mystery. In a human person one cannot deny that there are two objects, since clearly the Sacred Script and Church teach that the soul has form and separates from the body at death to go to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. Soul has form and location so it exists in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory while the body dissolves on Earth. So there are two distinct objects. On the other hand one cannot believe or imply that there is duality. Instead there a single nature. Two objects yet one object. One must assume faith, admit a mystery, and accept it because reason breaks down.
When considering soul and body there is both equality and inequality. In their fusion soul and body are equally and fully human nature. I would even go as far as saying personhood is equally and fully constituted in the body as well as in the soul. Let me give you an analogy. The mystical, intimate, and indissoluble union of the human nature to the Divine Nature of Jesus remained even after He died on the Cross. The Son of God did not split in half or cease union from his Holy Soul or from His In-corrupt Body when they separated.
I believe something similar with a human person. When the soul separates from the body at death personality does not cease. To me it would ridiculous to think a soul loses personhood when separated from the body at death. The soul still has a unique form and hopefully will still relate to God and others after death in a way only it can. On the other end of the spectrum I believe there is a person even if ensoulment possibly does not happen at conception. It is an underdeveloped human person, perhaps even without a soul and yet there is a qualified uniqueness in this little body. And this is backed up by biology. There is a unique genetic form, an independent human person springing forth to God in a transformation and relating to the mother as only it can in a basic mode of life. And the mother is relating to this little child in a basic manner. This little living creature ultimately belongs to God and originates from God via Adam and Eve. This human person belongs to the human race and has rights whether or not ensoulment occurs.
For the past two or three generation the Pope and Body of Bishops have taught that the zygote, from the first moment of its existence, and life beyond is to be treated as a human person regardless of when ensoulment hypothetically occurs. Furthermore, the Church has always believed and St. John Paul II infallibly taught that abortion is always intrinsically evil and gravely immoral regardless of when ensoulment hypothetically occurs. Implied in these invaluable and blessed teachings is that personhood is rooted as much in body as in soul. To me anything else is duality, and getting hung up on semantics of antiquated philosophy.
This is a profound thought and I do not say this lightly. Read St. John Paul II again, "Each human person, in his absolutely unique singularity, is constituted not only by his spirit, but by his body as well. Thus, in the body and through the body, one touches the person himself in his concrete reality." The body constitutes personhood as well as the soul. A person's body is not the body of anyone else and through the body the person relates to everyone and everything including God in a way only it can and vice versa.
This is a profound thought and I do not say this lightly. Read St. John Paul II again, "Each human person, in his absolutely unique singularity, is constituted not only by his spirit, but by his body as well. Thus, in the body and through the body, one touches the person himself in his concrete reality." The body constitutes personhood as well as the soul. A person's body is not the body of anyone else and through the body the person relates to everyone and everything including God in a way only it can and vice versa.
Another illustration of this idea is found in the history of theologians and philosophers who thought that ensoulment determines personhood. Through the centuries opinions varied on when ensoulment occurs thus inaugurating a human person as they thought. The spectrum of opinions ranges from conception, to birth and various stages of pregnancy in between. Nobody can see when the soul is created and fused to the body by God, so these thinkers are really pinning personhood on various developments of the body and playing with the semantics of ensoulment. And yet I maintain that personality is also fully rooted in the body, and is a matter of degree. Personhood develops and becomes more determined throughout life via the maturing of our bodies as well as our relation to God and other human persons. Ensoulment is a major development because personality is also equally and fully rooted in the soul and the soul enables us to freely relate to God and other human persons in a selfless, Christ-like, moral manner given grace once we are more mature.
In spite of equality there is also inequality between soul and body. Soul and body, ultimately relate back to God: one immediately and the other mediated through Mom and Dad tracing back to Eve and Adam. Soul and body are a single nature and yet the soul we are taught is of greater value than the body, made most especially in God's image, and constructed in a manner so as to open up an intimate relationship with God in grace.
To further illuminate things, a human person in the state of sanctifying grace has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as intended from the beginning and restored in Baptism. So we have a third object, The Holy Spirit, superposed to soul and body. That is three objects and two natures, Divine and human super-positioned! And the Holy Spirit is constantly relating to the human person. A lot is happening in a human! Once the hierarchy of natures and objects are organized there is a beautiful synthesis like a trinity in a human person: God-soul-body. It is enchanting how familiar God is in the construction of and relation to a human person.
How Does the Soul Form?
It was you who created my inmost self and put me together in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you (Jeremiah 1:5)
And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant (Isaiah 49:5)
The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - it is not "produced" by the parents - (CCC 366)
Every soul has a unique and miraculous relation to God in the event of its creation. To a lesser degree this can also be said of the body, since all our bodies are traced back to Adam and Eve whose bodies God also miraculously formed. I'm always moved by the Gospel in Luke where the genealogy of Jesus is traced back to "son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God." There is no escaping our relation to God, even if we are sinners. Our bodies are related to God via parents tracing back to Adam and Eve. This is a mediate relation to God, however in the ultimate synthesis every single body is of God and belongs to God as well as to the human race. To a greater degree our souls are related to God in the event of their special and miraculous creation in the womb. This is immediate.
A soul does not form naturally as does the body in the case of ordinary humans (excluding Jesus, Mary, Adam, and Eve). God miraculously creates and forms the soul ex nihilo in which He fuses to the body. So the soul has a supernatural origin, and implied in this origin event is a commitment of God to the human person throughout life and hopefully unto eternity. The Divine event of a soul’s miraculous creation and infusion is sometimes called ensoulment. The time when ensoulment happens for ordinary human persons is as far as I know an open question in the Roman Catholic Church.
As we see in the above Scripture quotes of this section God clearly forms us and puts us together in the womb. Surely what is written here does not refer to the body, because our parents handle this side of the equation. These passages refer to the soul. God handles the soul side of the equation. This is what is implied in the Scripture quotes from the Psalms, Jeremiah and Isaiah.
What does Immortal Soul Mean?
and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death (CCC 366)
The Church has always taught that the soul is immortal and I believe this however, sometimes it seems to me that "immortal" is a bit of a misnomer. Immortal literally translates as living forever, never dying. The problem with the word immortal is we introduce the word life into the definition. This is confusing because the word life is usually used in context to the body and on top of this this concept is notoriously ill-defined. Below I will unambiguously define life for this article.
You see in the Catechism description by immortal the Church means that it does not perish. Even the word perish is problematic to me. But again the definition isn't problematic. What I think the Church means is that the soul is everlasting. It will exist forever and it cannot possibly be torn apart or stop working as the organs, cells and chemicals of our bodies ultimately are by the great destroyer that is gravity.
When we use the words life and death in context to the soul of itself these seem to me more figurative. Life in context to the soul I assume has to do with its intimate relationship with God established at Baptism whether of water, blood or desire. At Baptism, a Divine Person, the Holy Spirit comes down and dwells in the human person and stimulates him or her in the relationship of grace. As long as the the Spirit indwells the soul it could said to be alive. The souls in Hell are said to suffer death and destruction since they are separated from God, the Mystical Body of Christ, are not infused with the Holy Spirit, etc.
In terms of immortality I think the idea is that the soul cannot be dissolved as opposed to living objects comprised of atoms, molecules, chemical compounds, etc. can. Maybe everlasting is a better word, but I am by no means denying the teaching itself. Even the souls in Hell last forever. In this this the soul is similar to the fundamental object that mediates light and gravity between all atoms, the same from which all atoms derive their form. This fundamental object cannot possibly dissolve, break into pieces, etc. unless God performed some miracle which there is no reason to believe he ever will.
What is Life and Where Does the Soul Fit Into This Definition?
Life for the purposes of philosophy, physics, and biology could be defined as a natural object's ability to move on its own in spite of its inherent gravitational relationship with all the atoms of the Universe. This ability is built into the body of the object. Life refers to a dynamic concept, a verb. Life describes a natural object's ability to move on its own against the pull of all the atoms of the Earth and Universe. A living object has an ability to independently move radially opposite the net effect of gravity originating in the Earth. Life is independent anti-gravitational motion. This is a clear and consistent definition that holds up to critical thinking and rational analysis. This durable definition has footing in physics, biology and philosophy.
In Faith, we can assume God designed an object’s ability to independently self-propel, given the right set of circumstances. The fundamental unit of life is the cell. Before a living object performs such actions as respiration, reproduction, defecation, meosis, etc. it must have the ability to move on its own against the gravitational pull originating from all the atoms of the Earth. Without this ability a living object would not be able to perform any of the many functions proper to it.
I now arrive at the reason I wrote this article. I was curious if the soul is necessary to life as I have defined above. This is a complex question to answer because human life passes through a vast development to a pinnacle where a person is making complex moral decisions, possibly living selflessly and acting to some degree in unison with the Holy Spirit. At this pinnacle, yes I do think the soul is necessary to life of a human person. Yet, at a basic level, no I do not think a body must be informed with a soul to enact the moving relation called life. Somewhere in between yes I do think the soul has to infuse a maturing human body for a coordination of movement. A good marker is perhaps when the brain is fully formed and functional.
If I presented my atheist friends with the choice of ridiculing me over the existence of God or the necessity of the soul in life, they would probably choose the latter. At least with God we can appeal to an unseen mystery. With life at a base level bio-mechanics is clearly explained at this juncture of history. We can practically see the mechanics through a microscope video camera. It is wondrous how a living entity moves on its own, but at a basic level there is not a whole lot of mystery to appeal to in order to argue that a soul is necessary to life. A single celled organism does not need ensoulment from God in order to move on its own in spite of gravity. This to me is a ludicrous thought.
Now I come to the human zygote. Although, as I said above I think a zygote is a human person in spite of its underdevelopment, I just assume that it does not need the soul to self propel and undergo its transformation and movement toward the uterus. The zygote is alive regardless of ensoulment.
The Virgin Mary's Ensoulment According to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
Blessed Anne's number suggests about 135 days, which is midway through second trimester. This is a unique idea. Theologians and philosophers from the past posited all different times they thought ensoulment occurs from conception to birth, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone say four and one half months into pregnancy. Modern theologians and members of the pro-life movement have seemed to abandon the idea that ensoulment happens post conception. This is understandable. I take nothing away from them. However as far as I know the Pope or Pope and Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church have not clearly and authoritatively taught when so called ensoulment occurs.
For Blessed Anne, in the 1800s to clearly state these numbers is to me fascinating. It took me years just to get used to this idea! Initially I was repulsed by it. Yet with time and for a variety of reasons which I will list below I agree with her. Assuming Faith it is reasonable to me that God would wait half way through the pregnancy to create the soul and unite it to the body.
Notice also that she clearly states the Mary's soul assumed a form. Soul refers to an object, i.e. to that which has form, shape, figure, etc. . . pick your synonym. Form is the primary quality of all objects, and the soul is most certainly an object, NOT a concept such as love, life, justice, gravity, light. Jesus clearly references the soul as an object in Matthew 10:28.
Blessed Anne says she saw this soul unite to the LIVING body of Mary in Saint Anne's womb. She seems to suggest that Mary's body was already alive in Saint Anne's womb prior to ensoulment. Although assuming Faith the soul is an essential object to mature humans, Blessed Anne's words would seem to suggest that an object can be described as living prior to ensoulment meaning that the soul is not necessary for an object to enact the dynamic relation called life at a basic level.
The Ensoulment of Jesus, Adam and Eve
The Conception of Jesus is a different event than natural or unnatural conception (fusion of M & F gametes). This is of tantamount importance to note. Our human natures are not assumed to the Divine Nature. The event of the Incarnation is incomparable. Even the Immaculate Conception of Mary pales in comparison to it. And our lowly conception is not even in the same league. When the Son of God miraculously assumed human nature in the womb of Mary his soul and body were created and fused at the same time. And of course he was filled with the Spirit. This was extraordinary.
I am of the opinion that the human body assumed by the Son in the Incarnation event was miraculously accelerated to that of a fetus. The Spirit used the cells of Mary to miraculously form a fetus in an accelerated manner at the same time the Spirit created and infused the soul as the Son of God united himself to this his new human nature all in one event, in one and the same instant as has been explained by Fathers and Doctors of the Church. From there Jesus slowly and gently grew and developed in the womb of Mary for a customary nine months to sanctify this phase in the life of all mothers and children.
The bodies of Adam and Eve were not naturally formed in utero. God miraculously formed both of their bodies as fully grown adults with developed organs and so on. As described in the Sacred Scripts, Adam was miraculously created from the clay of the Earth and Eve miraculously, God using a rib taken from Adam in Paradise. They were ensouled in adult bodies. This is also extraordinary.
What I take from the ensoulment of Jesus, Adam and Eve is that God is free in his decision of ensoulment. God is not bound by any sort of rules. He creates and infuses the soul when He sees fit in accord with circumstance and his boundless wisdom. God is not programmed and predictable like a robot. And neither am I!!!
Some Reasons Why I Agree With Blessed Anne Catherine
So what are some reasons I think ensoulment occurs at about four and one half months like Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich says?
Now with these listed, I will modify by saying: It is possible and within the realm of God's might and mercy to adopt any prenatal at any stage of development from conception; to create and infuse him or her with a soul; to confer a mystical baptism of blood upon them and raise them in Heaven. I do not reject this possibility. I am of course uncertain as to everything God does. And I could very well be wrong in my ideas. I'm a fallen human person and a sinner. God does not live by my thoughts and rules.
Regardless of when ensoulment happens, those who God would ensoul in the womb or in a dish, He has committed to, and He surely has the power to save them via Christ Jesus in a concrete manner in light of their premature deaths, and there is no reason to think that He does not. This will be a very brief topic below.
This is NOT a Red Herring. No Matter When Ensoulment Occurs Abortion is Always Instrinsically Evil and Gravely Immoral
As I already stated above and will state again, abortion is always instrinsically evil and gravely immoral regardless of when ensoulment occurs like St. John Paul II infalliby taught and the Church as a whole has always believed. I feel I made a decent case that personhood is rooted in body as in soul, and that the human person begins at fusion of M and F gametes regardless of ensoulment. I used the death of Jesus to argue this as well as what is implied in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as well as that seemingly sacred word called science.
Pro-lifers think the event of ensoulment is implied in the teaching against abortion and the teaching that we should treat the prenatals as a human person from conception. Whereas I think the concept of personhood is implied as equally and fully rooted in the body regardless of when ensoulment occurs in these same two teachings. I also made some other arguments in favor of this view. This view is important because it holds more weight legally than ensoulment. I think St. John Paul II understood this. The courts will not let an unseen creation and infusion of the soul sway their decisions because of lack of evidence. A stronger case for a human person and clear definitions of life would help more in my estimation. This being said, legality has nothing to do with my currents of thought.
The new living object formed at conception is a human being regardless of my ideas about personhood or whether or not ensoulment occurs as Pro-lifers tend to think. This form is derived from a man and a woman which in Faith can be traced back to Adam and ultimately God: the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (Luke 3:28). The new living object formed at fertilization belongs to the human race and has rights even if it underdeveloped and does not yet have a soul created and infused by God. If that object has not matured to the event of ensoulment it is still a living human being and abortion is still instrinsically and always gravely evil. The mediator or mediators of an abortion directly and voluntarily harm and deprive the target object in a severe manner, in this case an underdeveloped and innocent human. This is a heinous sin.
If ensoulment occurs half-way through pregnancy an abortion to those prior to this event deprives some underdeveloped humans of not only their life but also possibly of their soul (if God's choice is not to adopt them). It seems to me that if ensoulment occurred halfway through pregnancy then an act of abortion would be a greater degree of evil than previously imagined, since some underdeveloped human persons might not reach the event of ensoulment. There is a possibility that abortion of an embryo in the first few months of pregnancy deprives that human being of not only life, but also of a soul. This is double the evil. My speculation raises the stakes.
My speculation also elevates the dignity of the Mother. She is not only caring for the life of her child, but also helping that child reach the event of ensoulment, a significant moment in all our lives. This is an invaluable gift from God and not to be taken lightly.
What Happens to Prenatals that Die in the Womb?
In Faith, we can assume God designed an object’s ability to independently self-propel, given the right set of circumstances. The fundamental unit of life is the cell. Before a living object performs such actions as respiration, reproduction, defecation, meosis, etc. it must have the ability to move on its own against the gravitational pull originating from all the atoms of the Earth. Without this ability a living object would not be able to perform any of the many functions proper to it.
I now arrive at the reason I wrote this article. I was curious if the soul is necessary to life as I have defined above. This is a complex question to answer because human life passes through a vast development to a pinnacle where a person is making complex moral decisions, possibly living selflessly and acting to some degree in unison with the Holy Spirit. At this pinnacle, yes I do think the soul is necessary to life of a human person. Yet, at a basic level, no I do not think a body must be informed with a soul to enact the moving relation called life. Somewhere in between yes I do think the soul has to infuse a maturing human body for a coordination of movement. A good marker is perhaps when the brain is fully formed and functional.
If I presented my atheist friends with the choice of ridiculing me over the existence of God or the necessity of the soul in life, they would probably choose the latter. At least with God we can appeal to an unseen mystery. With life at a base level bio-mechanics is clearly explained at this juncture of history. We can practically see the mechanics through a microscope video camera. It is wondrous how a living entity moves on its own, but at a basic level there is not a whole lot of mystery to appeal to in order to argue that a soul is necessary to life. A single celled organism does not need ensoulment from God in order to move on its own in spite of gravity. This to me is a ludicrous thought.
Now I come to the human zygote. Although, as I said above I think a zygote is a human person in spite of its underdevelopment, I just assume that it does not need the soul to self propel and undergo its transformation and movement toward the uterus. The zygote is alive regardless of ensoulment.
The Virgin Mary's Ensoulment According to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
Four and one-half months less three days after St. Anne had conceived under the Golden Gate, I saw the soul of Mary, formed by the Most Holy Trinity, in movement. I saw the Divine Persons interpenetrating one another. It became a great shining mountain, and still like the figure of a man. I saw something from the midst of the Three Divine Persons rising toward the mouth and issuing from it like a beam of light. This beam hovered before the face of God and assumed a human shape, or rather it was formed to such. As it took the human form, I saw it, as if by the command of God, most beautifully fashioned. I saw God showing the beauty of this soul to the angels, and from it they experienced unspeakable joy.
I saw that soul united to the living body of Mary in Anne’s womb. Anne lay asleep upon her couch. I saw a light hovering over her and from it a beam descending toward the middle of her side. I saw that beam enter into her in the form of a small, luminous, human figure. At the same instant Anne sat up. She was entirely surrounded by light, and she had a vision. She saw her own person, open as it were and in it, as if in a tabernacle, a holy, luminous virgin from whom proceeded all salvation. I saw, too, that this was the instant that Mary first moved in her mother’s womb.
Anne arose and announced to Joachim what had taken place. Then she went out to pray under the tree beneath which a child had been promised to her. I learned that Mary’s soul animated her body five days earlier than is customary with ordinary children, and that she was born twelve days sooner. (The Complete Visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich)Above is a quote taken from the prophetic visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. She describes the supernatural creation of Mary's soul. Strangely, she describes the miraculous formation and fusion of Mary's soul to happen about four and one half months into St. Anne's pregnancy. And she goes on to say that the time of this event give about five days, is customary for all ordinary children. By ordinary I would assume she is excludes Jesus, Adam and Eve.
Blessed Anne's number suggests about 135 days, which is midway through second trimester. This is a unique idea. Theologians and philosophers from the past posited all different times they thought ensoulment occurs from conception to birth, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone say four and one half months into pregnancy. Modern theologians and members of the pro-life movement have seemed to abandon the idea that ensoulment happens post conception. This is understandable. I take nothing away from them. However as far as I know the Pope or Pope and Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church have not clearly and authoritatively taught when so called ensoulment occurs.
For Blessed Anne, in the 1800s to clearly state these numbers is to me fascinating. It took me years just to get used to this idea! Initially I was repulsed by it. Yet with time and for a variety of reasons which I will list below I agree with her. Assuming Faith it is reasonable to me that God would wait half way through the pregnancy to create the soul and unite it to the body.
Notice also that she clearly states the Mary's soul assumed a form. Soul refers to an object, i.e. to that which has form, shape, figure, etc. . . pick your synonym. Form is the primary quality of all objects, and the soul is most certainly an object, NOT a concept such as love, life, justice, gravity, light. Jesus clearly references the soul as an object in Matthew 10:28.
Blessed Anne says she saw this soul unite to the LIVING body of Mary in Saint Anne's womb. She seems to suggest that Mary's body was already alive in Saint Anne's womb prior to ensoulment. Although assuming Faith the soul is an essential object to mature humans, Blessed Anne's words would seem to suggest that an object can be described as living prior to ensoulment meaning that the soul is not necessary for an object to enact the dynamic relation called life at a basic level.
The Ensoulment of Jesus, Adam and Eve
I saw Adam, not born in Paradise, but in the region in which Jerusalem was subsequently situated. I saw him come forth glittering and white from a mound of yellow earth, as if out of a mold. (The Complete Visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich)
Then from his (Adam's) right side, from the same place in which the side of Jesus was opened by the lance, God drew Eve. I saw her small and delicate. But she quickly increased in size until full grown. She was exquisitely beautiful. (The Complete Visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich)
She (Mary) entirely absorbed in self, saw in herself the Incarnate Son of God, a tiny, human form of light with all the members, even to the little fingers perfect . . . (The Complete Visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich)Jesus, Adam and Eve were extraordinary and at the very least Adam and Eve are not customary examples of when ensoulment occurs.
The Conception of Jesus is a different event than natural or unnatural conception (fusion of M & F gametes). This is of tantamount importance to note. Our human natures are not assumed to the Divine Nature. The event of the Incarnation is incomparable. Even the Immaculate Conception of Mary pales in comparison to it. And our lowly conception is not even in the same league. When the Son of God miraculously assumed human nature in the womb of Mary his soul and body were created and fused at the same time. And of course he was filled with the Spirit. This was extraordinary.
I am of the opinion that the human body assumed by the Son in the Incarnation event was miraculously accelerated to that of a fetus. The Spirit used the cells of Mary to miraculously form a fetus in an accelerated manner at the same time the Spirit created and infused the soul as the Son of God united himself to this his new human nature all in one event, in one and the same instant as has been explained by Fathers and Doctors of the Church. From there Jesus slowly and gently grew and developed in the womb of Mary for a customary nine months to sanctify this phase in the life of all mothers and children.
The bodies of Adam and Eve were not naturally formed in utero. God miraculously formed both of their bodies as fully grown adults with developed organs and so on. As described in the Sacred Scripts, Adam was miraculously created from the clay of the Earth and Eve miraculously, God using a rib taken from Adam in Paradise. They were ensouled in adult bodies. This is also extraordinary.
What I take from the ensoulment of Jesus, Adam and Eve is that God is free in his decision of ensoulment. God is not bound by any sort of rules. He creates and infuses the soul when He sees fit in accord with circumstance and his boundless wisdom. God is not programmed and predictable like a robot. And neither am I!!!
Some Reasons Why I Agree With Blessed Anne Catherine
Four and one-half months less three days after St. Anne had conceived under the Golden Gate, I saw the soul of Mary, formed by the Most Holy Trinity, . . . I learned that Mary’s soul animated her body five days earlier than is customary with ordinary children, and that she was born twelve days sooner. (The Complete Visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich)In a previous section I said that I agree with Blessed Anne's view that the customary time for ensoulment of all ordinary prenatals is about four and one half months. In this section I will briefly share some reasons why I think this is a viable teaching.
So what are some reasons I think ensoulment occurs at about four and one half months like Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich says?
- As I explained above, it seems to me that the presence of a soul is not necessary to life at a basic level of operation
- In this fallen world, many embryos conceived in a spontaneous pregnancy resulting from a natural sexual act open to life fail to implant in the uterus and do not survive. It is hard for me to believe that God would commit Himself to creating and infusing a soul to all these lost embryos. Is the mother going to find all these lost children in Heaven? I doubt it.
- Humans are reckless with their sexual organs, gametes, sexual acts and in general their bodies, especially in these modern times when in vitro fertilization as well as many horrifying experiments on live embryos happen. It is hard for me to believe that God, in his foresight and wisdom, would commit to creating and infusing a soul too early in the face of such irresponsibility and evil. It would almost seem foolhardy and ludicrous for God to commit Himself in such a manner.
- Not much is known about the soul. The body might not be fit for its reception until the heart and brain are fully formed.
- God exercises free will and is not bound by any rules.
- Human nature is fallen and sinful. Humans have shown themselves to be severely harmful to each other, especially toward the most innocent and underdeveloped in the womb. We can act careless in the face of an awesome responsibility. So I think a little caution on God's part as to when to create and infuse the soul would seem prudent.
- Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich and others throughout history have posited different times in development when the prenatal is ensouled while believing abortion is always instrinsically evil and gravely immoral.
Now with these listed, I will modify by saying: It is possible and within the realm of God's might and mercy to adopt any prenatal at any stage of development from conception; to create and infuse him or her with a soul; to confer a mystical baptism of blood upon them and raise them in Heaven. I do not reject this possibility. I am of course uncertain as to everything God does. And I could very well be wrong in my ideas. I'm a fallen human person and a sinner. God does not live by my thoughts and rules.
Regardless of when ensoulment happens, those who God would ensoul in the womb or in a dish, He has committed to, and He surely has the power to save them via Christ Jesus in a concrete manner in light of their premature deaths, and there is no reason to think that He does not. This will be a very brief topic below.
This is NOT a Red Herring. No Matter When Ensoulment Occurs Abortion is Always Instrinsically Evil and Gravely Immoral
Even scientific and philosophical discussions about the precise moment of the infusion of the spiritual soul have never given rise to any hesitation about the moral condemnation of abortion. (St. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae)I want to preface my further remarks by saying that I am not serving any agenda. I am pro-life. I've swung a censer leading the Eucharist in procession around an abortion clinic right down the rode from where I live. However, assuming Faith I have to follow the current of my reason to keep my integrity. As a thinker one must remain detached. This article has been challenging. Other than the unpleasant previous section I enjoyed researching and writing it. I am happy with the way I feel about it and I think I came up with some decent ideas with the aid of others. I am subject to the judgment of God and the Magisterium.
As I already stated above and will state again, abortion is always instrinsically evil and gravely immoral regardless of when ensoulment occurs like St. John Paul II infalliby taught and the Church as a whole has always believed. I feel I made a decent case that personhood is rooted in body as in soul, and that the human person begins at fusion of M and F gametes regardless of ensoulment. I used the death of Jesus to argue this as well as what is implied in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as well as that seemingly sacred word called science.
Pro-lifers think the event of ensoulment is implied in the teaching against abortion and the teaching that we should treat the prenatals as a human person from conception. Whereas I think the concept of personhood is implied as equally and fully rooted in the body regardless of when ensoulment occurs in these same two teachings. I also made some other arguments in favor of this view. This view is important because it holds more weight legally than ensoulment. I think St. John Paul II understood this. The courts will not let an unseen creation and infusion of the soul sway their decisions because of lack of evidence. A stronger case for a human person and clear definitions of life would help more in my estimation. This being said, legality has nothing to do with my currents of thought.
The new living object formed at conception is a human being regardless of my ideas about personhood or whether or not ensoulment occurs as Pro-lifers tend to think. This form is derived from a man and a woman which in Faith can be traced back to Adam and ultimately God: the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (Luke 3:28). The new living object formed at fertilization belongs to the human race and has rights even if it underdeveloped and does not yet have a soul created and infused by God. If that object has not matured to the event of ensoulment it is still a living human being and abortion is still instrinsically and always gravely evil. The mediator or mediators of an abortion directly and voluntarily harm and deprive the target object in a severe manner, in this case an underdeveloped and innocent human. This is a heinous sin.
If ensoulment occurs half-way through pregnancy an abortion to those prior to this event deprives some underdeveloped humans of not only their life but also possibly of their soul (if God's choice is not to adopt them). It seems to me that if ensoulment occurred halfway through pregnancy then an act of abortion would be a greater degree of evil than previously imagined, since some underdeveloped human persons might not reach the event of ensoulment. There is a possibility that abortion of an embryo in the first few months of pregnancy deprives that human being of not only life, but also of a soul. This is double the evil. My speculation raises the stakes.
My speculation also elevates the dignity of the Mother. She is not only caring for the life of her child, but also helping that child reach the event of ensoulment, a significant moment in all our lives. This is an invaluable gift from God and not to be taken lightly.
What Happens to Prenatals that Die in the Womb?
But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Am I able to bring him back? I will go to him, but he cannot return to me. (2 Samuel 12:23, David comments on his dead new born baby via Bethsheba)
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous? (Matthew 20:15)
God did not bind His power to the sacraments, so as to be unable to bestow the sacramental effect without conferring the sacrament. (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica III 64, 7; cf. III, 64, 3; III, 66, 6; III, 68, 2. )
Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered above give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptised infants who die will be saved and enjoy the Beatific Vision. (International Theological Commission, The Hope of Salvation for Infants, n. 102)
It was explained to me likewise why the Redeemer remained nine months in His mother's womb, why He was born a little child and not a perfect man like Adam ... The Incarnate Son of God willed to be conceived and born that conception and birth, rendered so very unholy by the Fall, might again become holy. (Complete Visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich)
The universality of salvation means that it is granted not only to those who explicitly believe in Christ and have entered the Church. Since salvation is offered to all, it must be made concretely available to all.” (St. John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio)
The theology of salvation is not where I excel. All I will say is that I do believe that those who are ensouled in the womb and who die an untimely death by any means such as abortion or miscarriage are given a Baptism of Blood by God and raised in Heaven. Salvation is made concretely available to them and granted by God in his mercy. It is arrogant to think that God is not able to bestow the sacramental effect without conferring the sacrament or that in His surpassing Love, Mercy and Justice would hold back this gift to these innocents who have been harmed. This would go against so many verses in Sacred Scripture it would be impossible to list them all.
I also do not believe in a third and final destination after the Resurrection and Last Judgment, such as a hypothetical Limbo of Infants. A Limbo of Infants is not implied anywhere in the Sacred Script. They are in God's unfathomable plan and are destined for Heaven.
I also do not believe in a third and final destination after the Resurrection and Last Judgment, such as a hypothetical Limbo of Infants. A Limbo of Infants is not implied anywhere in the Sacred Script. They are in God's unfathomable plan and are destined for Heaven.
And I am not a Feeneyite.
