Don’t Neglect Your Soul
Have you every noticed what happens to a house when it is neglected? The exterior paint peels. Weeds take over the lawn. Potholes appear in the driveway. Dust and dirt begin to cover everything inside. Cobwebs form in the corners. The walls crack.
Have you every noticed what happens to a house when it is neglected? The exterior paint peels. Weeds take over the lawn. Potholes appear in the driveway. Dust and dirt begin to cover everything inside. Cobwebs form in the corners. The walls crack. After about 20 years of neglect, the house is in such bad shape that one is tempted to bull doze it and build a new one. Notice that it is very easy to run down a house – all you have to do is nothing!
The same consequences of neglect apply to so many things: cars, friendships, marriages, boats — and our souls! Most people think that you have to do terrible, bad things in order to corrupt your soul. It’s a lot easier than that. All you have to do is neglect your soul.
Have you noticed that if you allow your house or your room to become messy, after a while, it seems normal to you? Often, you don’t realize how bad it has become until someone visits and you feel embarrassed. Or, have you noticed that if you go into house where there is a foul odor, after a while you don’t notice it? This is how it is with our souls. If we do something that is very bad for the first time, our conscious will sharply rebuke us. However, if we habitually do the same act, our conscious will not react very much.
Properly practicing the Catholic faith forces us to take a good look at the state of our souls. Hopefully, we will look for areas that need improvement and we will work to improve those areas. I don’t know about you, but I find it impossible to comfortably pray with a guilty conscious (unless I’m praying for forgiveness). I also believe that God communicates to me through my “inner voice” and my conscious when I pray. Most importantly, when we practice our faith properly, God cleanses our souls through the merits of Christ’s sacrifice.
One of the devil’s strongest weapons in this regard is to suggest that you should “get right with God” later. He tries to convince you that you should enjoy yourself today because “you have plenty of time to repent tomorrow.” This is exactly how most people end up neglecting their souls. People procrastinate because they choose immediate gratification over short-term pain and work. Don’t follow the herd. Get right with God today!