Dear friends,
Why this series of articles on wholeness in religious life? I am aware that the readers are people who were passionate about committing themselves wholly to God as they began their vocational journey. Yes indeed, we as religious are characterised by our deep desire for ‘complete commitment’ to God and His people. At the core of our being, we are focused on being disciples of Jesus with all of our heart, mind and soul. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Every time we hear these words, a wave of emotion engulfs as we are reminded of our total commitment. I am happy to co-journey with the readers in this psycho-spiritual search to understand the concept of wholeness in religious life. I term it as a psycho-spiritual journey because we will be discussing concepts that are common to both psychology and spirituality; themes such as wholeness, emotional maturity, physical and social well-being, life commitments, spiritual experiences, purpose of our life and love for God.
Our deepest desire for wholeness
One of the deepest desires in each of us is to possess wholeness in our lives. I for one, have been captivated as well as intrigued by the idea of wholeness for the past 25 years: captivated – because it just seems such a lofty and a sacred idea; intrigued – because it seems so idealistic and difficult. Now then, is it truly possible to attain wholeness or is it merely a utopian dream? The dictionary meaning of the word ‘wholeness’ reveals an under-lying philosophy of life. The Collins English Dictionary explains that “Wholeness is the quality of being complete or a single unit and not broken or divided into parts.” So, wholeness is being an integrated whole.
Fr. Dr. Joseph Jeyaraj Swaminathan SDB
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