What is the Soul?

Dear Lenten Pilgrims,

In 1901, a scientist named Duncan MacDougall conducted an odd set of experiments to test an unusual question:  What is the weight of the human soul?

He monitored six patients, very close to death from a terminal case of tuberculosis, by placing them each on a giant scale.  Then, at the exact moment that they died, he noted the drop in their body weight, surmising that it was precisely then that their souls left their bodies.  He noted that, on average, the bodies dropped twenty-one grams when they died.

So his conclusion?  The human soul weighs exactly twenty-one grams.  [1]

Of course, MacDougall’s work has since been debunked as folly, but his inquiry follows a long line of historical pursuits on the nature of the human soul.  You may not have given the matter much thought, but if you really think about it, what do we mean when we talk about our souls?

The Bible certainly seems interested in the matter, as its pages teem with references to that mysterious part of our existence.  The Hebrew word nephesh and the Greek word psyche, most often translated as soul, occur over eight hundred times throughout the Scriptures.  Our Christian conversations are inundated with its usage, with popular phrases like “Bless my soul,” “God rest his soul,” “Don’t tell a soul,” and “Bare my soul.”  Even John Wesley emphasized it, requiring that every class meeting of Methodists include the question, “How is it with your soul?” at its inception.

Clearly, a Methodist needs to know what a soul is in order to answer how the soul is doing.

So what do we talk about when we talk about the soul?  Our Western understanding comes primarily from Greek philosophers, especially Plato and Aristotle.  Plato defined the soul as having three parts, fueling the three primary centers of our body:  the mind (intellect), the heart (emotion), and the gut (instinct and passion.)  The soul is greater and deeper than one’s thoughts, feelings, and instincts, for it gives life to all three.  Aristotle believed that the soul was not, as Duncan MacDougall surmised, separate from our material bodies.  Instead, it is the primary animating principle at work from the very first moment we are alive.

So, perhaps a suitable first part of a definition of the soul is that it is the source of our lives.

But there’s more.  As Christian people, we believe that our souls were given to us as gifts from God, breathed into us at the moment we were created.  As a result, the soul’s innate function is to draw us into a deeper relationship with God.  Just as the giver and receiver of a gift can become closer to one another after the gift is exchanged, God’s gift of our souls prompt us to long for that which is greater than ourselves.

That’s why so many of the Psalms that mention the soul do so with such a profound yearning for God.  “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You,” declares Psalm 42.  “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Hope in God and praise him, my Savior and my God,” says Psalm 43.  Even the great hymn “How Great Thou Art” speaks of a soul that reaches out to God.  “Then sings my soul / my Savior God, to Thee / How great Thou art.”

So, here’s my own, personal, two-part definition of the soul: “The soul is the source of our lives that connects us to the Source of All Life.”

However, there is still one more important component.  In order for us to draw closer to God, back to the giver of the gift, and have an intimate connection between creatures and Creator, our souls need to be tended.  They need to be nurtured, cared for, and expressed, if they are to fulfill their purpose of drawing us to the Source of All Life.

That’s why we will be spending these weeks of Lent focusing on the sacred task of soul-tending.  Each Sunday, we will learn about different aspects of the soul, and experience an array of practical techniques designed to free our souls from the weighty encumbrances of sinful living, in order to point us toward the God who gave us life.  In doing so, we will follow Jesus to the cross, who said, rather plainly, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their souls (psyche) will lose them. But all who lose their souls because of me and because of the good news will save them.” (Mark 8:34-35)

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org

[1] For this and other quirky stories of the human pursuit of the afterlife, I recommend Mary Roach’s delightful book Spook:  Science Tackles the Afterlife.

Tending the Soul
Principles and Practices for the Spiritual Life

February 24
“Be Still My Soul”
Stillness and Silence

March 3
“My Soul Looks Up to Thee”
Prayer and Fasting

March 10
“My Soul Longeth for Thee”
Scripture Reading and Study

March 17
Special Concert by
David and Judi Klee

March 24
“A Soul in Action”
Acts of Compassion and Justice

March 27
“Let This Cup Pass from Me”
Maundy Thursday Service

March 28
Good Friday Service

March 31
“A Soul Filled with Praise”
Easter Sunday