Let us also return to our series on the various tactics of the Evil One and explore how he constantly finds different ways to lead us away from God. This week, we will examine how the devil tempts us with the false notion that our soul is not affected by the actions of our body, especially when it comes to prayer and the worship of God in the liturgy.
[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]
Satan knows our nature. He knows that we are humans and this is a fact that we often forget or deny.
Body & Soul
We are humans and that means we are a body-soul composite. During our life on earth, our bodies and souls are united. At the moment of death, our body is separated from the soul, but will be reunited at the Last Judgement. This seems like a simple listing of facts that everyone knows, but a large number of us live as if we didn’t have one or the other. Or, we live as if our body had no relation to our soul.
One very common heresy is the belief that our soul is somehow “trapped” inside our body. This is a heresy that has taken different forms over the years, but all boils down to the realization that our “body is bad” and our “soul is good.” Put this heresy into practice and anything “spiritual” (like prayer) must be entirely divorced from the body (which is tainted and evil).
Screwtape gives us an example of this heresy while giving his nephew demon advice,
At the very least, [humans] can be persuaded that the bodily position makes no difference to their prayers; for they constantly forget, what you must always remember, that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls. (16, emphasis added)
According to Screwtape, he would rather have the “patient” pray in a disembodied “spiritual” way, than kneeling before God, uttering a prayer that uses the senses of his body. We see the devil seeking to separate that which is united. He is seeking to lead us away from worship that engages all of our senses, for he knows that our body has great influence upon our soul.
As we discussed above, we are a body-soul unity. What we do with our body has a direct impact upon our soul. This unity allows all of our senses to be engaged in prayer (sight, hearing, taste, sound, touch) and assists our soul in being raised up to God.
Liturgical Signs, Symbols & Gestures
Unfortunately, because of this clever tactic of the devil it is too easy for us to miss the beauty of all the gestures, holy water, music, incense and vestments used in the Church’s public prayer. We might be tempted to strip all of it away in favor of a more “spiritual” type of prayer that is more “holy.” We might even view these aspects of the Church’s liturgy as “distractions.” Or, we might see all of these exterior requirements and be confused, thinking that it looks like we have to jump through all of these hoops in order for our prayers to “work.”
These false notions have led countless men and women in every age to dispose of visible aspects of the liturgy. All the movements and material things used in public prayer appeared to be useless; they did not serve a “spiritual” purpose and actually hindered “true” prayer. (As a note, there are certain exterior actions that do hinder us from prayer and it is up to the Magisterium of the Church to discern which forms of worship are appropriate.)
This is not something new in the Church and all of these temptations have been around for centuries. The key is to fight back and study why the Church has kept all of these external aids to prayer.
First of all, the Catechism reminds us that prayer involves much more than our soul,
Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays (2562).
On account of this unity, the Church’s public forms of worship contain numerous elements that are visible and engage our bodily senses. The Catechsim teaches us,
A sacramental celebration is woven from signs and symbols. In keeping with the divine pedagogy of salvation, their meaning is rooted in the work of creation and in human culture, specified by the events of the Old Covenant and fully revealed in the person and work of Christ (1145, emphasis added).
Signs of the human world. In human life, signs and symbols occupy an important place. As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. As a social being, man needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through language, gestures, and actions. The same holds true for his relationship with God (1146).
God speaks to man through the visible creation. The material cosmos is so presented to man’s intelligence that he can read there traces of its Creator. Light and darkness, wind and fire, water and earth, the tree and its fruit speak of God and symbolize both his greatness and his nearness (1147, empahsis added).
Inasmuch as they are creatures, these perceptible realities can become means of expressing the action of God who sanctifies men, and the action of men who offer worship to God. The same is true of signs and symbols taken from the social life of man: washing and anointing, breaking bread and sharing the cup can express the sanctifying presence of God and man’s gratitude toward his Creator (1148, emphasis added).
As we can see, the Catholic Church does not have “empty rituals.” Each and every ritual has a specific meaning and purpose that is designed to lead us to the worship of our Creator. Instead, the Church has “full rituals” that fill a person’s soul to the brim. We need these signs and symbols to help us pray; it corresponds to the core of our being.
Its All About a Relationship
Let’s use marriage as an analogy. In marriage, we need to express our love and gratitude in vocal and physical ways. Wives know this better than husbands. Wives want to know that their husbands love them. Simply saying “Love ya!” as you walk out the door or adding “XOXO” to the bottom of a text message doesn’t suffice. The excuse “she knows that I love her, so I don’t need to say it” often ends a year later in divorce or results in a marriage that flounders for decades.
We all have this interior yearning to be loved and to witness that love in a very real and tangible way. On the flip side, we also have this desire to express our love for another person in a real and tangible way. Anyone who has ever dated knows this. It is certainly very good and enjoyable to hang out with someone or to chat with them on the Internet, but it is much more desirable to meet them in person, talk on the phone or hold hands.
As time goes on, you go from “liking” someone to “loving” them and declare your love verbally. Valentine’s Day comes around and your girlfriend really does want you to buy her a dozen roses and a box of chocolates. It is not so much about the materials things you give her as what they symbolize. Then, the day comes when you realize she is “the one” and pick out a ring. You think of an elaborate plan to propose to her and pop the question while on one knee. At last, you are married and wear that ring for the rest of your life, knowing that it is a constant sign of your love for each other. During the entire relationship, you are expressing love in visible ways that involve all the senses.
We need signs, symbols and gestures in our human relationships, so why not have the same in our relationship with God?
Our soul can not help but express to God its feelings, hopes and dreams in a physical fashion. Whether it is kneeling, making the sign of the Cross, lighting candles or standing with our hands raised to Heaven, we need to preserve these exterior actions, because they are expressions of our soul. The devil is going to try his hardest to lead us away from them because he knows how much we need them. Remember, we have bodies and souls and they shouldn’t be separated.
Takeaway point #4: Let us look again at this passage from the Catechism,
As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. As a social being, man needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through language, gestures, and actions. The same holds true for his relationship with God (1146).
Be vigilant!
***If you would like to follow-along reading the The Screwtape Letters, I suggest to purchase your own copy of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters
