The human soul is a highly unstable and extraordinarily powerful entity. It is the culmination of the intellect, the will, and the affections, possessing the power to build up, to tear down, even to alter an aspect of eternity. In The Inferno, this distortion of the soul is referred to as incontinence; or a lack of self-control in relation to the appetites overcoming reason. In his book, “Dante: The Poetics of Conversion”, John Freccero puts it this way:
“The Christian does not begin from a zero-point on his journey, but rather from the world of generation and corruption, a topsy-turvy world of inflated pride where directions and values are both inverted. Although the fall from grace left the natural light intact, it involved the will in a conversion to lower things, and the consequent distortion can be cured only by a descent in humility and an ascent to grace. Before the soul can make progress, the twisted course of the will must first be unwound.”
Our souls are born into a naturally depraved state, which consequentially becomes distorted through the corruption and perversion of our environment and our self-centered choices. If the “me” mentality of our souls is not reversed, we are instead condemned to the authority of our distorted souls, which is really bad news.
What, then, can restore these corrupted souls of ours? We must surrender to a power greater than our own, a power that can offer ample grace needed to restore our distorted souls. There is no degree of self-attainment or condemnation that can “unwind the twisted course of the human will”, so we must look higher than our distorted souls.
It is the word of his grace that can build us up and sanctify our souls beyond our mortal measure (Acts 20:32). For “He restores my soul, He guides me in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).
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