What is more important to God, our body or soul?

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I think as far as Catholic teaching goes, there is value to the human person as both body and soul, one is neither greater or lesser than the other. The term “embodied spirit” comes to mind, but I do not recall exactly where the terms comes at the moment… But it is a term that’s been used by my Catholic professors in my Catholic upbringing.
I guess I just want to point out that where we don’t see God, or where we worship this invisible Transcendent Other, one can easily conclude that this invisible spiritual realm where exists the invisible God serves to highlight the importance of our own spiritual intangible participation as spirit/soul.
But, here comes the Christ, God made flesh, the Incarnate Word.
But… see how the human body is somewhat disciplined, scourged and bloodied, and couple that with references to the struggle of being human, read: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Finally, I guess I just want to say that the question is both classic and oddly enduring.
If you ask me, as I try to appropriate the question into my own life, I would say: I enjoy life, take pleasure in both my body and the ineffable, yet all consoling encounter of God in my faith and engagement in the faith community. Suffering, still, is very real. I don’t feel called to ignore it or tell others that they just have to wait for their eternal reward in Heaven. Instead, I feel called to try to end suffering, that authentic love is compassion in action. Through it all, there is still an overriding joy that God is here.
 
Pilosopo said:
Sounds nice. But what exactly does that mean?
Thanks.
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I once heard a Protestant pastor say this about free will and predestination and it stuck with me. He said they are like two parallel lines that seem to draw closer together as they move further away. I suppose they converge and unite when they enter a non-temporal plane.
 
meltzerboy said:
I once heard a Protestant pastor say this about free will and predestination and it stuck with me. He said they are like two parallel lines that seem to draw closer together as they move further away. I suppose they converge and unite when they enter a non-temporal plane.
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I think that’s be bit too much for me. I think I’ll just stick with Plato’s world of forms, that intangible immutable perfect world of perfect ideas. And then, just want to point out the influence of Greek thought, besides Judaism, on Catholicism.
 
Pilosopo said:
I think as far as Catholic teaching goes, there is value to the human person as both body and soul, one is neither greater or lesser than the other. The term “embodied spirit” comes to mind, but I do not recall exactly where the terms comes at the moment… But it is a term that’s been used by my Catholic professors in my Catholic upbringing.
I guess I just want to point out that where we don’t see God, or where we worship this invisible Transcendent Other, one can easily conclude that this invisible spiritual realm where exists the invisible God serves to highlight the importance of our own spiritual intangible participation as spirit/soul.
But, here comes the Christ, God made flesh, the Incarnate Word.
But… see how the human body is somewhat disciplined, scourged and bloodied, and couple that with references to the struggle of being human, read: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Finally, I guess I just want to say that the question is both classic and oddly enduring.
If you ask me, as I try to appropriate the question into my own life, I would say: I enjoy life, take pleasure in both my body and the ineffable, yet all consoling encounter of God in my faith and engagement in the faith community. Suffering, still, is very real. I don’t feel called to ignore it or tell others that they just have to wait for their eternal reward in Heaven. Instead, I feel called to try to end suffering, that authentic love is compassion in action. Through it all, there is still an overriding joy that God is here.
Click to expand...
I think you will like this. It’s theologically minded (by St. Maximus, known for his “cosmic” theology), but it talks in depth about the problem you listed concerning the Incarnation, using Christ’s own agony in the garden (during Matthew 26:41, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak…”) as the model.
 
Robert_Sock said:
Can somebody, me, be 50% Jewish and 50% Catholic?
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No, not really.
To be Catholic means to be 100% Catholic.
If you read/hear some interesting Jewish teaching you have to view it through the lens of the Catholic Church. We are all called to complete holiness. You cannot do that by using two world views that have eternal differences. Jesus changed history and began the completion of the history of salvation. He entrusted to His Church the ‘fullness of truth’ or ‘deposit of faith’.
One must always begin and end with the teachings of the Church. Put no trust in anything you may hear that does not come from the Catholic Church. There is much truth and value in the world outside of the Church…
BUT

We can look upon outside resources as a source of inspiration for our own thinking, but we have to evaluate what we read or hear in light of the Divine Truth entrusted to the Catholic Church alone.
 
Anthony_V said:
I think you will like this. It’s theologically minded (by St. Maximus, known for his “cosmic” theology), but it talks in depth about the problem you listed concerning the Incarnation, using Christ’s own agony in the garden (during Matthew 26:41, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak…”) as the model.
Click to expand...
Great… now i have some homework. 🙂 But really, thanks. Thank you.
 
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