Interaction of Body/Soul/Spirit

[DadDave]

One thing I’ve been intrigued about lately is the interaction (probably not the best description) between the body & soul (and depending on how you look at it the “spirit” as well).
Do both East & West Catholics believe in that what we do with our body affects our spirit and what we do with our spirit affects our soul?
Sinning with our bodies can cause spiritual sickness, and spiritual sinning can cause physical sickness?
Further, when St Paul talks of our bodies as temples, is he saying that sinning against the body is worse than other types of sins?

 

[Philotheatoo]

I believe Paul was letting us know that, as we are committing a sin/s against our body; God is present within us. In other words, to oversimplify it ~ when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol the baby is consuming it too. If I am tempted to commit a sin against my body, I am abruptly deterred by the thought of God’s presence there within me, alive and aware.

I do believe we become physically ill when we are in a state in which our spirit is ill too and vice versa.

As far as my soul being affected by my spirit; I don’t think so however; I do not know the answer to that either.[SIGN][/SIGN]

 

[mardukm]

Dear brother DadDave,

One thing I’ve been intrigued about lately is the interaction (probably not the best description) between the body & soul (and depending on how you look at it the “spirit” as well).

According to the Fathers, the spirit is the animating principle of the body, while the soul is the rational principle of the body.

Do both East & West Catholics believe in that what we do with our body affects our spirit and what we do with our spirit affects our soul?
Sinning with our bodies can cause spiritual sickness, and spiritual sinning can cause physical sickness?

That there is a relationship between the sickness of the spirit and the sickness of the body is recognized by all. It is a basic belief of most apostolic Christians that the Original Sin which resulted in the loss of original holiness and justice is the cause of all material evil in the world. That’s the way Orientals and Latins explain the dogma of Original Sin. I think the Easterns explain it slightly differently - i.e., they say the primary effect of the Original Sin is physical death which itself is the direct cause of all other ailments, spiritual and physical (though there are Eastern Fathers such as St. Palamas who explain the matter in the way Orientals and Latins do).

Further, when St Paul talks of our bodies as temples, is he saying that sinning against the body is worse than other types of sins?

I think St. Paul was simply teaching that we should not use our flesh/bodies for the purpose of sinning. Sinning with the mouth (cursing, lying, taking the Lord’s name in vain, etc.) is an example of using your body to sin (and two of those examples are mortal sins according to Latin Catholic teaching) but it is not a “sin against the body.” Of course, there are also sins against the body (e.g., adultery, murder) that are also considered mortal or serious sins.

Blessings,
Marduk

 

[GEddie]

One thing I’ve been intrigued about lately is the interaction (probably not the best description) between the body & soul (and depending on how you look at it the “spirit” as well).
Do both East & West Catholics believe in that what we do with our body affects our spirit and what we do with our spirit affects our soul?
Sinning with our bodies can cause spiritual sickness, and spiritual sinning can cause physical sickness?
Further, when St Paul talks of our bodies as temples, is he saying that sinning against the body is worse than other types of sins?

We can’t really tell between the soul and the spirit; I wouldn’t worry too much about that.

Sinning “against the body” is worse than other sins, in that we damage our own mechanism for being, the body, which we need for living life. Our one earthly life is therefore impaired. Body sins are not, however, “worse” in terms of eternal salvation than any other sin.

ICXC NIKA