9/18 - A Sunday Thought About the Upper and Lower Parts of the Soul

Summer's fading; fall is at our doorstep. Those of us still in school have our homework each day - a respite from which we had during the summer. Those of us working for a living may be feeling the heat turned up a bit as the summer doldrums end and the push to meet year-end goals takes center stage.

Still, it's Sunday, the Lord's Day, a day of rest. In recent weeks, we've shared passages from solid Catholic spiritual works helping us to understand the nature of prayer as well as how to pray. We suggested that, in addition to the rest from our work that Sunday might brings, we consider spending additional time in prayer. Today let's switch gears.

In addition to taking time to deepen our understanding and spending time in prayer, how about a deeper understanding of the soul. Our guide will be Abbot Chapman. And his focus will be on what he calls the "upper" and "lower" parts of the soul. His teaching here isn't unique. Other great Catholic spiritual writers have used this upper and lower distinction to help us understand how the soul works. Abbot Chapman stands on the shoulders of these. Here's what he has to say:

“In times of desolation we must try to be equally detached from our own feelings. We must always have in our minds the intention of accepting the state we are in: ‘O God, I am distracted, without devotion, full of temptation, extroverted, worldly – but I don’t like it – I am ready, therefore, to remain so, as long as it is Thy will.’ We must always go on praying not to sin, not to give way to willful imperfections, and if we do give way we can thank God for the humiliation that results. But all the time we must try and not take ourselves too seriously – laugh at ourselves for the state we are in, and laugh at ourselves for minding it. Because the great principle is that all these commotions, all these consolations, are effects in the lower part of the soul, and do not in themselves matter in the least; they purify and strengthen the lower part of the soul, if they are patiently and lovingly accepted.

 “What does matter is the upper part of the soul; but that is something which we can’t feel, but only know. But we have to make that the highest part of our soul (or the deepest, if you prefer this metaphor – St. Francis de Sales says ‘highest point,’ Blosius says ‘the depth’ – it is the same thing) is united to God, and nothing else matters at all in this world. The right intention is the only way I can describe it. The essential interior act of religion is the giving ourselves to God, turning to Him and remaining turned, uniting ourselves to His will and remaining united. When this essential act is going on in the high point of the soul, all the rest of the soul can be in a disturbance, unrest, rebellion, misery – it does not matter – on the contrary, the ‘point of the soul’ accepts it, embraces it, wills it.”

Interesting, eh?

I learned about this upper and lower thing from Abbot Chapman, but, as you can see, he's not the only spiritual director to teach this idea. Since learning of this, my daily reading has taken me back to it many times. I "re-learn" it each time. I then take the time to think about it to see if I can somehow "embed" it into my brain, my heart, my soul. Over time, if you give it time and effort, you may find you can, in the moment of some sort of distress, "locate" yourself in the higher (or lower) part of your soul and preserve your peace despite the sturm und drang that's ravaging you.

The point is, it's well worth taking the time (and it will take time I think) to understand this idea and make it something real in your spiritual life.

With God's grace, you'll succeed.

Happy Sunday!