Resurrection of the dead and decay of the soul: What is Chriist’s miracle about?
When we read in the Gospel about the resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain, we encounter an event that overturns our understanding of the world and compels us to reflect on the state of our own soul.
When a person dies, irreversible processes begin within the body. The vessels collapse, microorganisms spread freely through the tissues, invading the liver, heart, and brain. Molecular decay sets in, and the neural connections that store memory and personality are destroyed. From a medical point of view, it is impossible to restore a human being as a person even a few hours after death.
And yet imagine Christ approaching this organism, teeming with chemical reactions, and saying: “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
And he arose and began to speak… What was happening at that moment? Did the cells instantly reassemble into a living whole? Did the bacteria retreat from the liver and brain back into the intestines? No – something entirely different was taking place, something beyond our comprehension. We cannot even begin to imagine what must occur for a dead body to return to life and for thought and consciousness to awaken once more.
The decay of the soul: an invisible corruption
Today we encounter many publications suggesting that the reality around us is not at all as our school textbooks portray it. Beyond the known laws, there are others of which we know nothing. The spiritual world differs from the material far more than the barren desert differs from the lush meadows of the mountains.
But our soul – which was meant, even here in the material world, to live in the fullness of the spiritual realm – is dead.
It survives only by animal reflexes and instincts. We have become like nesting dolls – within the future corpse lives a dead soul.
How revolting it is to look upon a decomposing corpse – the stench of decay, the sight of corruption. But how does a human soul appear when the same processes of decomposition occur within it? If anyone imagines that this spectacle is less horrifying, he is gravely mistaken.
The Holy Fathers teach that fallen spirits are so hideous that a person could die of fear at the mere sight of them. Whereas the angels of God are radiant and beautiful, the demons once shared that beauty before their fall. Their present form is an icon of what has happened to their essence.
The same metamorphosis takes place within the soul of a person enslaved by passions. The body may appear beautiful, but the soul within evokes nothing but disgust.
Passions are far worse than bacteria of decay, and the stench of a soul corroded by sin is fouler than the most putrid earthly smell.
A spiritual epidemic – and how to be saved
In the lives of the saints we read how a guardian angel could not approach a person because of the stench emanating from his soul. But the demons, like carrion flies, swarmed about such a soul, laying their eggs within it. From these eggs hatch larvae that attract stronger demons – necrophagous spirits who delight in feeding on the liquefied tissues of a decomposing soul. Thus, the rotting soul becomes a breeding ground of spiritual infection.
The events unfolding in the modern world serve as a powerful catalyst for the spread of this plague.
We are witnessing an unprecedented demonic infestation of humanity. The channels of mass communication are connected to every ear, transmitting into human hearts the deadly germs of the devil. Each of us is already a carrier of these demonic larvae; the only difference lies in the strength of our immunity. Those who have it resist their growth; those who do not are swiftly consumed.
What, then, must we do to be saved? First of all, we must stop mourning other corpses when our own stench fills the house. And secondly, we must realize that our souls are already dead, no matter what we may think of ourselves.
The life of the soul is defined by one thing only – its living connection with the Source of life, God.
This connection reveals itself through the presence of divine grace in the soul. If we do not feel grace within us, it means only one thing – we are dead, and we cannot pull ourselves out of our own grave.
Only one path remains: humility, tears, and hope – hope that the same miracle will happen to our soul as to the son of the widow of Nain. It is our soul that is being carried out to be cast into the fire of Gehenna. Our only hope is the Mother of God, who by Her tears will awaken the compassion of Her Divine Son. Not compassion for us – for by our sins we are unworthy of any mercy – but compassion for the tears of His Most Pure Mother, who weeps for our souls because we too are Her children.
And still we have hope in the prayers of the saints, who together with the Theotokos stand around the bier of our lifeless soul. Seeing this procession, perhaps the Savior will also say to our soul: “I say to you, arise! Arise from the bed of eternal death and enter the life prepared for the righteous, for the sake of the tears of My Most Pure Mother and the prayers of My saints.”
