Does The Soul Leave The Body When You Die?

[XIX]

Clearly, the soul is not on earth anymore and the body is, but I once had a theology teacher who said that since the body and the soul are not separate per se, that the soul doesn't technically "leave the body." He had anothe way of putting it but I'm not sure what that was.

[Selah]

I've never heard of this before. If the soul animates the body, and the body isn't animated anymore...where is the soul then? Is it just hanging out?

[mommas_boy]

I remember hearing something from some solidly Catholic seminarians along those lines. Something to the effect that the soul is not only the animating force of the body, but also the essence of the person that can be "distilled" no further. That is to say, that the soul contains everything that it means to be a person. Since all people have a body, and since we will again have our bodies in heaven, it is assumed that having a body is part of what it means to be human, and that thus one cannot truly separate the body and the soul.

[b]EDIT[/b]: Here is what the Catechism has to say:

[b]CCC 1005[/b]

"To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ: we must 'be away from the body and at home with the Lord' (2 Cor 5:8). In that 'departure' which is death [b]the soul is separated from the body[/b]. [b]It will be reunited with the body[/b] on the day of resurrection of the dead."

[b]CCC 1016[/b]

"[b]By death, the soul is separated from the body, but in the resurrection God will give incorruptible life to our body, transformed by reunion with our soul[/b]. Just as Christ is risen and lives for ever, so all of us will rise the last day."

So, it seems that this sentiment that the body is "inseparable" from the substance of the soul is only possible in the sense that the body will be reunited with the soul following the general resurrection and judgment. The fact is that the soul does leave the body at death, but that God has destined for our bodies and souls to live forever in him. In this sense, and this sense only, are the two inseparable.

Edited July 21, 2008 by mommas_boy

[White Knight]

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 [b]"So we are always courageous although we know that [u]while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord[/u], for we walk by faith not by sight, [u]yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.[/u]"[/b]

Philippians 1:21 [b]"For me life is Christ, [u]and to die is to gain.[/u]"[/b]

Hewbrews 9: 27 [b]"Just as it is appointed that [u]human beings die once, and after this the judgement.[/u]"[/b]



[u][b]Catechism of the Catholic Church[/b][/u]
page #286-289#
Article 12
Subject: [u][b][u]Article 12 I BELIEVE IN LIFE EVERLASTING & Particular Judgement[/u][/b][/u]


1013 [b] [u]"Death is the end of a man's earthly pilgrimage[/u], of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When [u]'''the single course of our earthly life''' is completed we shall not return to our earthly lives: '''it is appointed for men to die once.''' [color="#0000FF"]there is no ''''reincarnation''' [/color]after death."[/u][/b]

1021 [b] [color="#8B0000"]"[u]Death puts an end to human life as the time open to ethier accepting or rejecting divine grace manifested in Christ.[/u] [/color]The New Testment speaks of judgement primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in His second coming, but also affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the Cross to the good thief, [color="#00FF00"][u]as well as other New Testment texts speak of a final destiny of the soul, a destiny which can be different for some and for others."[/u][/color][b]

1022 [b] [color="#FF8C00"][u]"Each Man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death,[/u][/color] In particular judgement that refers his life to Christ: [color="#006400"][u]ethier enterance into the blessedness of heaven[/u], [/color] [color="#00FF00"][u]through a purification[/u][/color] or immediately, [color="#0000FF"][u]or immediate and everlasting damnation."[/u][/color]

"At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love."[/b]



I hope this clears some issues.

White Knight
God Bless You.

[SienaWA]

I have believed that the soul does leave the body and in the raising of our bodies from the dead, I was under the impression that our bodies are new/different then. The soul recieves a new body.
What is imprinted on the relics of saints, their bodies, clothes etc.? Is that the Grace from God that they were recieved? I know our faith and prayers etc. are needed when using sacramentals.
I don't think it can be the soul in any way, that would be putting a spirit in an object. Are our soul and our spirit different?