Get the Workbook | Facilitator Guide | While modern medicine gives us reasons to believe our souls live on after we die, there is a much older source of evidence going back to ancient Greece. The philosopher Plato made a simple observation: Nothing in our life is perfect. Every day we experience things that fall short of the best, and this makes us feel dissatisfied. But, Plato asks, how could we recognize imperfections unless we had an awareness of what perfection would be like? These desires for perfection, or transcendental desires, are a sign of the presence of God to our consciousness.

In this episode you will learn that ...

■ All cultures and religions across time have a shared awareness of certain universal symbols and meaning.

■ We have a desire for perfect truth, perfect love, perfect goodness, perfect beauty, and perfect home, that could not come from any worldly knowledge or experience.

■ God not only gives us a transcendent soul, He also fills our soul with the horizon of His perfection, and beckons us.

■ Virtually all cultures commemorate sacred places and times, as well as ritual worship of the divine who calls them to holiness.

■ In our conscience, God is the omniscient, invisible searcher of hearts who bids us to do good and avoid evil.

■ Those who open themselves to God find not only the sacred, but also a personal, empathetic, and loving God passionately interested in bringing us to the fullness of life.

About Fr Spitzer: Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 16, 1952, Fr. Spitzer is a Catholic priest in the Jesuit order and is currently the President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith (magiscenter.com). The Magis Center produces documentaries, books, high school programs, college courses, adult-education programs, and social media materials on the close connection among science, reason, and faith. Fr. Spitzer is also the President, Master of Ceremonies, and speaker at the Napa Institute (napa-institute.org).