In the Gospel of Saint Mark, Christ teaches us about profit and loss. Our Lord asks us:
For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul? (Mark 8:36)
We find two simple yet profound messages in Our Lord’s question. First, God has given us a soul that is precious, and we can lose our soul.
What is a soul?
In the glossary of the U.S. version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines “soul” as:
The spiritual principle of human beings. The soul is the subject of human consciousness and freedom; soul and body together form one unique human nature. Each human soul is individual and immortal, immediately created by God. The soul does not die with the body, from which it is separated by death, and with which it will be reunited in the final resurrection.
Body, soul, and spirit are aspects of the self. So, to lose our soul is to lose our essential selves.
A Rule of Thumb
The second lesson is that gaining the world (all its riches, fame, glory, etc.) is incomparable to losing our precious soul. Losing a soul is an irreversible loss and is analogous to losing God. The loss is for eternity.
Once a loving priest shared with me a rule of thumb his Novice Master had given him years before. The test is if you have a choice to make, ask yourself, “Does ‘this’ contribute to the salvation of your soul”? The answer will be a clear guide to the road to take.
Every day we experience situations that place our souls in peril. So we must remain watchful and ask God for the grace to protect our soul from eternal loss. We want our profit and loss statement to be “in the black” at the end of our mortal lives.
Artwork: Leonardo, Jusepe. San Marcos. C.1630. Oil on canvas. Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, United Kingdom.