What Is Spiritual Contamination

Anything that causes a person to become spiritually unclean is a spiritual contaminant.

There are individuals (friends, relatives, associates) who can contaminate one's spirituality.

Music, television, the Internet, and other surroundings that might lead to spiritual contamination are all examples of spiritual contamination.

What are the consolations of God?

The first chapter of 2 Corinthians has suddenly touched me. Paul is writing to a community that he adores but from which he is physically isolated. Paul and his pals, like the rest of the town, are suffering in various ways. They're all trying to make sense of their situation. Paul, on the other hand, takes a different method to explaining their suffering and guiding them out of their difficult predicament. He reminds them of God's identity:

“Blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ's God and Father, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation…” (See 2 Corinthians 1:3)

All-comfort-giving God. Paul uses the term “consolation” ten times in verses 3-7! He says that this God of all consolation is the God who, through Jesus, has personally experienced suffering and consequently brings comfort to those who are suffering and empowers them to console others.

This passage, in my opinion, gives insight into our current position as the Whitworth community weathers the storm. We are all affected by COVID-19 in different ways, and we are all part of communities and a world that is in desperate need of comfort. I'm wondering whether we could follow Paul's example by turning our gaze, and the gaze of others, away from ourselves and onto the God of comfort who stands beside us in our suffering and perplexity.

The Holy Spirit, the “Comforter,” abides in us, teaches us, guides us into truth, gives us peace, and empowers us to join God in his work in the world. The same root word that is translated as “consolation” in 2 Corinthians 1 is used in the Gospel of John to describe the Holy Spirit, the “Comforter,” who abides in us, teaches us, guides us into truth, gives us peace, and empowers us to join God in his work in the world. “It is for your interest that I go away,” Jesus says, “for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Regardless of the terrible circumstances that may arise, Jesus gives us comfort, consolation, and purpose through the Holy Spirit while he completes his work on earth.

We had not anticipated being in this predicament. None of us expected to be so concerned about our own health and the health of those in our midst who are vulnerable. No one could have predicted such a severe economic downturn in the near future. No Whitworth senior imagined spending their final semester away from their favorite instructors and friends. No spring athlete trains for nine months only to have their season canceled. No one expected their college visits to morph into virtual visits while they were in high school.

None of us knows why these difficulties, as well as many others, are occurring in our current scenario. We all know the “God of all consolation who consoles us in all our pain so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction” as people of faith (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

My prayer for you and the rest of the Whitworth family today is that no matter what life throws at us, we will feel God's comfort as revealed in Jesus Christ and confirmed by the Holy Spirit, and therefore be vessels of God's consolation to a hurting world.

What is spiritual sensitivity?

A charism is spiritual sensitivity. Charisms are Holy Spirit gifts (charismata literally means “gifts of grace”) given to us for the purpose of building up the Church:Charisms are basically just the Holy Spirit's overflowing love finding distinct, concrete expressions in each individual believer.

Where is your soul located in your body?

Understanding the anatomy and activities of the brain is required for medication or surgical treatment of brain illnesses. When it comes to locating the abstract conceptions of mind and soul within the concrete 1300-gram organ containing 100 billion neurones, the philosophical neurosurgeon quickly runs into problems. The brain, according to Hippocrates, is the seat of the mind. Aristotle's tabula rasa cannot be pinpointed to a specific portion of the brain with the same certainty that we can pinpoint spoken word to Broca's area or limb movement to the contralateral motor cortex. Galen's theory of imagination, reasoning, judgment, and memory being located in the cerebral ventricles was disproved once it became clear that the functional units–neurones–were located in the brain's parenchyma. Accidental injuries (Phineas Gage) or temporal lobe resection (William Beecher Scoville); studies on how we see and hear; and more recent data from functional magnetic resonance studies have all made us aware of the extensive network of neurones in the cerebral hemispheres that serve the mind's functions. Ancient anatomists and philosophers thought the soul or atman, which was credited with the ability to invigorate the body, resided in the lungs or heart, the pineal gland (Descartes), and the brain in general. When neurosurgeons were able to access deeper parts of the brain, the brainstem proved to be extremely sensitive and vulnerable. The concept of brain death after irreversible damage has made us all aware of the importance of the brainstem's “mix of brain soup and spark.” If each of us has a soul, it is undoubtedly enshrined here.

Where does the soul go after it leaves the body?

Wicked spirits are told to “depart to the vengeance of God” in Kitb al-rh. They seek sanctuary throughout the body, fearful of what awaits them, and must be retrieved “like an iron spear pulling through moist wool, shredding the veins and sinews.” The spirit is placed in a hair garment by angels, and “the stench from it is like that of a decomposing cadaver.” The soul is then returned to the body in the grave after a thorough examination. “Good and contented spirits” are told to “return to God's mercy.” They “flow as effortlessly as a drop from a waterskin” from the body, are wrapped in a fragrant shroud by angels, and brought to the “seventh heaven,” where the record is stored. The souls of these people are also returned to their bodies.

What are spiritual consolations?

In general, consolation refers to the joy or satisfaction felt when one's sorrow or suffering is lessened or when one receives good support and encouragement. Not only at a specific moment, but throughout a soul's journey from conception to perfection, the spiritual existence alternates between periods of ecstasy and pain. As a result, it is permissible to speak of spiritual consolation in the sense of release from pain, comfort in the face of adversity, or endurance strength. Spiritual consolation is the polar opposite of spiritual despair in this sense.

Spiritual consolations, on the other hand, may be considered in and of themselves, either as the joy that comes with specific spiritual exercises and activities, or as gifts and favors from God that are unrelated to relief from suffering. Consolations are psychologically felt in the appetitive faculties of emotions or will, however they can also be strong enough to overflow into the body, as in the case of the gift of tears or intense joy. Knowledge or awareness is required as a necessary disposition, and knowledge can occasionally provide a sense of delight, such as in contemplation, albeit this is not defined as spiritual comfort.

Spiritual comfort is always about God or anything related to God, yet it does not necessarily follow any of man's efforts or services in relation to God; rather, God's love and service may be accompanied by difficulty, pain, and challenges. As a result, it's critical to distinguish between spiritual consolation and devotion, which is defined as the promptness of the will in regard to things that pertain to God (i.e., worship, obedience to His laws, performance of state duties, etc.) and does not always imply delight or sensible consolation. Furthermore, spiritual comfort is not a matter of choice in the sense that one can infallibly experience it via one's own efforts, but it tends to flow naturally from spiritual deeds until something stands in the way. Temperament (e.g., melancholic or phlegmatic), negative mental attitudes (e.g., depression, pessimism, scrupulosity, worry), internal distractions, persistent sins of intemperance, physical disease or tiredness, and excessive attachments to earthly goods are some of the most typical difficulties.

Spiritual consolation is associated with activities of the ascetic state (effects of the operations of grace and the infused virtues) or the mystical state (effects of the working of the Holy Spirit's gifts), or it can be charismatic (extraordinary gifts from God) or preternatural, according to spiritual theology (due to the influence of the devil). (1) the consolation produced by God's love, known as the fervor or joy of charity; (2) the consolation that accompanies the work of virtue, which requires a relative perfection or facility; (3) the consolation of submission to God's will, which is usually experienced as a peace and quiet of soul; (4) the consolation that accompanies certain types of prayer, especially affective prayer and the prayer of simplicism. Temperament (sanguine and choleric), positive mental attitudes (optimism, cheerfulness, empathy, generosity), bodily health, and detachment from self and worldly things are all physical and psychical characteristics that promote spiritual consolation.

Spiritual consolations are frequently experienced as concomitant phenomena of particular phases of mystical contemplation in the mystical state, though they are occasionally plunged in darkness and alternate with desolations, and in the activities of the virtues refined by the Holy Spirit's gifts. In this state, one also receives any charismatic consolation that God desires to bestow, however this is not always limited to people who are in a mystical state. Normally, the devil produces misery and aridity rather than consolation, but if he does, it is to deceive.

Spiritual consolation can be genuinely desired because it is a gift from God and is tied to the spiritual life. However, because there is such a risk of being hooked to the consolation or finding selfish joy in them, spiritual writers advise souls to exercise caution and meek resignation.

What does abomination of desolation in the Bible mean?

The phrase “abomination of desolation” comes from the Book of Daniel, and it refers to the pagan sacrifices that Antiochus IV, the Greek monarch of the 2nd century BCE, used to substitute the twice-daily offering in the Jewish temple, or the altar on which such offers were made. It was taken up by the authors of the gospels in the first century CE in the context of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in the year 70, with Mark giving Jesus a speech about the Second Coming.

What is the difference between consolation and desolation?

We can be hopeful and look forward with the help of consolation. They don't take away the suffering, but they do provide us with energy and comfort. When faced with the devastation of death or bereavement, the comfort of gratitude, hope, and community can be helpful.

How do you know if you're spiritual?

The first evidence of a spiritual person is their lack of fear. When you have a fear or a chronic worry, that fear takes over your life and you are unable to be in the present moment. Fear of public speaking, fear of heights, and fear of bugs are the three most common fears among Americans. Many people, however, are terrified of death, rejection, loneliness, failure, illness, or making poor judgments. Spiritual people understand how to yield to forces beyond their control. In this way, they are similar to children in that they know how to ignore their minds and live fearlessly.