Choose a topic from Part 1:
1. The human soul is not an outpouring or sharing of thesubstance of God. God is pure actuality and absolute simplicity.His substance, therefore, cannot be divided or parceled out. Thehuman soul is not a thing eternally existing in God's being. Itis a creature. It is a thing made.
2. The soul is made by God's creative act. It iscreated; it is made out of nothing. It is a spirit, having initself no material element nor any essential dependence upon whatis material. Now, such a spiritual being can have no possibleorigin but by the direct creative act of God.
3. Since creation is an act proper to God alone, in whichno creature can serve as a medium (such as an instrumental cause ora ministering cause), the soul must be created immediately byalmighty God.
4. The human soul is not created and held in readiness forunion with its body. For every soul is the soul of one definitehuman being, and not just a soul, suitable for any one ofa number of bodies. Thesoul bears a definite real relation toits own body, that is, the body which it is to constitute as theliving body of one individual human being. There is nopre-existence of human souls. Soul and body together make onesubstantial thing, one essence and nature; the soul begins to existwhen this one nature begins to exist. Therefore, the human soul isnot produced before the body.
"It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.
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Thomas á Kempis
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"Men should often renew their good resolutions, and not lose heart because they are tempted against them."
St Philip Neri
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"We must not be behind time in doing good; for death will not be behind his time. "
St Phillip Neri
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