His Holiness Pope Shenouda teaches that man is the union of body and spirit, each with a different nature. While the body is material and its desires focus on the physical world, the spirit is heavenly, seeking what is divine and eternal.

Conflict Between Body and Spirit:
There is an ongoing inner struggle between the body’s earthly desires and the spirit’s higher aspirations. Each opposes the other, and this conflict is part of human nature. It requires self-control and spiritual striving so that the body’s desires submit to the will of the spirit.

Fate of Body and Spirit:
At death, the body returns to dust and loses life, but the spirit remains immortal, for it is the breath of God. Therefore, one should live by the spirit, not by the body, focusing on heavenly and eternal matters rather than on temporary ones.

Spiritual Message:
Pope Shenouda calls us to rise above materialism and direct our lives toward God, for the body is temporary, but the spirit is our true essence.

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