What is the soul?

The soul is the spiritual principle that makes a human body a living human person. Each soul is created directly by God, is immortal, and will be reunited with the body at the resurrection.

Body and soul form one person. A human being is a unity of body and soul, not a spirit merely using a disposable body. Scripture describes God forming Adam from the dust and breathing life into him (Gen 2:7). The Church calls the soul the “form” of the body, meaning that it gives the living human body its specifically human life and unity (CCC 365). Body and soul together constitute one human nature (CCC 362-364).

The soul is spiritual. Through the soul, a person can know truth, choose freely, love, pray, and enter communion with God. Human reason and freedom reflect the image of God (CCC 1704-1705). Brain injuries, illness, or unconsciousness may limit a person’s visible ability to think or communicate, but they do not remove the soul or diminish that person’s fundamental dignity. Every human being remains a person made in God’s image.

God creates each soul. Parents cooperate with God in generating a new human life, but the spiritual soul is not manufactured or divided from the parents’ souls. God creates each soul immediately (CCC 366). The soul exists from the beginning of each individual human life. This is one reason every human life deserves protection from conception until natural death (CCC 2270).

The soul survives death. At death, the soul separates from the body and undergoes the particular judgment (CCC 1021-1022). Because the soul is immortal, the person continues to exist while awaiting the resurrection. Christian hope, however, is greater than the survival of the soul. At Christ’s return, God will raise the dead and reunite each soul with its glorified body (CCC 366; 1 Cor 15:42-44). Jesus promises the resurrection of those who believe in Him (Jn 11:25-26).

Why this matters. Your body is good, your soul is immortal, and your choices have eternal significance. Care for both body and soul. Pray, receive the sacraments, reject sin, practice charity, and treat every person, including the weak and dying, with reverence. Each human being is created by God and called to eternal communion with Him.