[The following text comes from Saint Nektarios' study on the human soul, and here he defends the dignity of man against naturalistic explanations for the origin of the soul of man. Whereas Darwinistic Evolution claims man, body and soul, was descended from lower life forms. Orthodox Christian theology, as explained by Saint Nektarios and other Holy Church Fathers, teaches that man's soul has divine origin, given by God. The rational soul of man is in God's image, and the purpose of man is to acquire the Holy Spirit and become like God. This ultimately distinguishes man from the animals, Saint Nektarios astutely does not comment on the body of man, which he concedes is like that of an animal, as other Orthodox writers also say, because the body of man is part of the physical universe which science can study and learn about.]

Our Holy Father Nektarios was born on 1 October 1846 at Selymvria in Thrace. His parents, Dimos and Maria Kephalas, were pious Christians but not rich in this world's goods. Their son was baptized Anastasios and, from infancy, showed great-piety and love for study. When his mother taught him Psalm 50[51], he liked to repeat the verse: "I shall teach thy ways unto the wicked and sinners shall be converted unto Thee." After finishing elementary school, he was sent by his parents to Constantinople to continue his education, at the same time as working in a shop. The boy did not become entangled in worldly cares, but fixed his mind entirely upon building up the inner man in the image of Christ by prayer and meditation on the writings of the Holy Fathers.

The Angels of God have been commemorated by men from the earliest times, but this commemoration often degenerates into the divinization of Angels (IV Kings 23:5; A.V. II Kings). Heretics always wove fantasies round the Angels. Some of them saw the Angels as gods and others, if they did not so regard them, took them to be ancestors of the whole visible world. The local Council in Laodicea, that was held in the 4th century, rejected in its 35th Canon the worship of Angels as gods, and established the proper veneration of them. In the time of Pope Sylvester of Rome and the Alexandrian Patriarch Alexander, in the 4th century, this Feast of the Archangel Michael and the other heavenly powers was instituted, to be celebrated in November. Why in November? Because November is the ninth (9th) month after March, and it is thought that the world was created in the month of March. The 9th month after March was chosen because of the Nine Orders of Angels that were the first-created beings. Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, a disciple of the Holy Apostle Paul who was caught up to the Third Heaven), writes of these Nine Orders in his books: 'Celestial Hierarchies'. These Orders are as follows:

The fulfillment of the evangelical commandments, or the performing of good works, is an essential foundation for the spiritual life. One who disregards the fulfillment of the commandments and does not perform good works (works of charity) is alien to true spiritual life. However, the evil habits and sinful disposition of the souls that live in us resist the fulfillment of the commandments and the performance of good works. Every time we would like to perform some good work, we must overcome and suppress in ourselves one evil habit or another that protests against the good work we would like to accomplish. In this manner, a battle emerges in the soul between good aspirations and evil habits. 

The Holy Fathers of the Church prophesied about the last generation, saying to each other in wonderment: "What have we achieved?" One of them Abba (Father) Ischyrion, a great Geronda (Elder), replied: "We have fulfilled the commandments of God." The others said: "What about those who will come after us, what will they do?" The Geronda (Elder) answered: "They will accomplish half of our work." And again the Holy Fathers asked: "What about those who come after them?" Geronda (Elder) Ischyrion replied: "the; men of that generation will accomplish no works at all; temptations will come upon them. But those who are found worthy in that epoch will be greater

What is "asceticism"? What is an "ascetic"? Many secular people among the ranks of modern Christians know the words "ascetic" and "asceticism" by hearsay, but very few have a correct understanding of what these words mean and express. These words ordinarily bring about a kind of superstitious horror in modern people who consider themselves Christians but who are alien to the Church and the spiritual life, being wholly given over to a secular life of distraction.