Rector’s Reflections
Wednesday 19th March 2025
A Handy Little Prayer: the Collect for the 2nd Sunday of Lent
In yesterday’s reflections, I wrote generally about the use of Collects as part of the public prayer of the Church. I also added that Collects can be used fruitfully in our private prayers, as well. With these introductory comments out of the way, let me turn to a consideration of the Collect for the 2nd Sunday of Lent, as found in the Book of Common Prayer.
The Collect reads as follows:
“Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls ;that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. “
The starting point for his prayer is the idea that as human beings, there are two parts to who we are: an “outward” part and an “inward” part. The Collect uses the word “body” to describe the “outward” part and the word “soul” to describe the “inward” part. Since earliest times, Christians have recognised that human beings are a combination of the “outward” and the “inward”, and that God has created both aspects of who we are. Because of our dual nature, we cannot flourish unless we look after both the “outward” and the “inward” side of our nature.
Down the centuries, Christians have used various terms to explore and define further what we might mean by believing that human beings have both an “outward” and an “inward” part. Traditionally, many Christians have used the word “body” to describe the “outward” part and the word “soul” to describe the “inward” part. Thus many Christian writers have understood human beings to be a combination of “body” and “soul”, and this understanding has crept into popular culture, reflected in phrases such as “keeping body and soul together”. Theologians have speculated about the precise nature of the “soul”, how it relates to the “body”, and whether it is possible for the “soul” to live separately from the “body” but I shall not explore these speculations further on this occasion.
Although the language of “body” and “soul” has been popular down the centuries, other terms are also used to define and explore this distinction between the “outward” and the “inward” in human nature. Some people use the word “spirit”, and suggest that human beings are a combination of body and “spirit” ather than a combination of body and “soul”. Others, especially those with a professional interest in Philosophy or Psychology, might use the word “mind” , suggesting that human beings are a combination of body and “mind”, or body and “self”.
Whatever language is used, the basic idea is the same : human beings have a dual nature, being a combination of the “inward” and the “outward”. We’re not just physical bodies. There is also another dimensions to who we are – traditionally called our “soul”, but we might prefer to talk about our “spirit”, our “mind” or our sense of who we are (our “self”).
Because we have this dual nature, our well-being depends on caring for both aspects of who we are. It’s no good praying just for physical protection if our “souls” or “minds” are unwell. Similarly, it’s no good just praying for the well-being of our “souls” if we don’t have enough to eat or have nowhere to live. In theological terms, we seek a holistic salvation. In other words, we seek to know the fullness of God’s healing and transforming love in every aspect of our lives – a healthy body and a healthy soul.
And so we pray:”keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul”.
We shall explore this idea further in tomorrow’s reflections.