If you want to be a follower of mine…
An online dictionary offers four possible meanings for the word ‘devotion’. I would reduce the four definitions to two:
(a) earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.
(b) a form of prayer or worship for special use.
My reflection this morning is on the significance of these two points for our Christian life journey – being disciples of Jesus wholly ‘devoted’ to him, and living the Christian spirituality in our daily lives. In classical Christian literature, the word ‘devotion’ is often used in place of the more contemporary word ‘spirituality’. For instance, the classical work of St Francis de Sales is entitled, Introduction to the Devout Life. By ‘devout life’ he simply means spirituality and fulfilling the universal call to holiness. In short, my reflection is about spirituality – based on the Liturgy of the Word on this 22nd Sunday in ordinary time. What is spirituality?
Spirituality is letting ourselves be […]
Month: August 2023
IPPA Spirituality and Meaning Practitioner Award 2023 to Rev Dr Sahaya G. Selvam
International Association of Positive Psychology (IPPA) Spirituality and Meaning Practitioner Award 2023
Rev. Dr Sahaya G. Selvam’s Contributions to Spirituality, Meaning and Wellbeing in Africa
Religion, spirituality, meaning, and wellbeing define Rev. Dr Sahaya Selvam’s work/ministry as a Catholic priest and as a psychologist, originally from India, now serving in religious and academic contexts in East Africa, particularly among the youth.
To him, besides the categories of religion and spirituality, there is also a possibility for religious-spirituality (Selvam, 2013). Positive psychology provides a theoretical and methodological framework for his academic research and to develop and delivery interventions in the context of religious-spirituality. Character strengths (CS), including purpose and meaning, act as mediators in the relationship between a spirituality and wellbeing. In his PhD work, he explored CS as mediators in the relationship between spiritual […]
Feast of Transfiguration
Transfiguration: Experience of God in Jesus
Mountains are seen as locations of God-experience in many traditional cultures, and in many of the world religions. It is not by chance then that one of the classical works of St John of the Cross is called, The Ascent of Mount Carmel (1579); and more recently, Thomas Merton entitles his autobiography as, The Seven-Storey Mountain (1948).
The narration from Matthew describing the transfiguration clearly has three parts:
Going up the mountain
The moment of grace (experience of God in Jesus) on top of the mountain
Coming down the mountain with the fruits of that experience
Let us reflect on these three aspects of the gospel story and see what they could mean for us today:
Going up the mountain: the stage of preparation
What does the gospel text of today tell us about going up the mountain, more precisely, about our desire for the experience of […]