Excerpt, Angels & Enemies: An Exorcist Describes the Soul

I am editing copy for my upcoming horror novel release for ANGELS & ENEMIES. I came across this, and it struck me as being worthy to share. When Prescott Blakely, a demonically possessed businessman, asks if his soul can be saved, Fr. Francis Vindicare responds.

“People are fascinating creatures,” Fr. Francis said. “Each of us is different. Made in God’s image. What does that mean?
“The human being consists of two components, a corporeal body and the soul. The body is a relatively worthless heap of chemistry. Man understands it. Man can synthesize parts of it, for pennies or dollars, and the pieces he can’t, well, he is working on it. Man can improve it. Man is fixated on the body. But the body is imperfect. Mine is perhaps more imperfect than most. Heck, I’ve even got pig parts to complete mine. The body is prone to failure, breaking, weakness, disease. The body is finite. The body is of the world.
“Because the body is of the world, it is an easy target for the Satan and his minions. They can take over a body with ease, although, in order to do that, they must be invited. There must be a welcome mat and an open door.
“The soul, ah! There’s a mystery. Man can’t figure the soul out. He can’t see it, so he can’t reproduce it. It is infinite. It has no chemistry, no mass, no density in the physical sense. It may be immortal – no, it certainly is immortal. It may be SUPERMORTAL, in that it may live forever. That’s part of the mystery. The soul is precious. The soul is Divine. Capital D.
“People seek religion to save their soul. We, the clergy, cannot save your soul. I cannot save your soul. Don’t put that on me! At some point, either during your life, or at the end, you surrender your soul. This precious gift, the domain of the Holy Spirit, your gift from God, you either give it back to the Heavenly Father, glory be to God, or you give it to Lucifer, the Satan of darkness, the Thief of Souls.
“So I… I am not feigning modesty, I cannot save your soul. I can only help you to return it to its Creator, Most High, God of Mercy and Light.
“How are you going to choose, Prescott? To whom are you going to entrust your soul?”