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Chaplain's Corner
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Dear Alumni and Friends of Fordham,
The new year’s weeks of winter are known for shorter days, bargain shopping, and all kinds of resolutions, many of them concerned with one’s health and general well-being. For some it’s a dreary time; for others it’s a time to take a vacation. Of course, it’s also a time when the majority of Americans are drawn to watch the mother of all sporting events, the Super Bowl, providing an occasion to throw a party and, at the same time, throw out any number of well-meaning resolutions for good health made at the beginning of the year.
Concern for one’s health and well-being is a significant personal issue. The whole healthcare industry is a major component of our economy. I recently sat in the waiting area of a typical suburban pharmacy and was amazed at the sheer amount of medications stocked there and the busy pace of the six staff members: filling scripts, answering phones, using computers, and dispensing customers’ medications at the pick-up counter. In my mind I multiplied this phenomenon to include all the pharmacies in the country, and realized that this concern for health is actively the daily business of the nation, touching millions if not hundreds of millions of people.
But what about our spiritual health? We will soon be in the liturgical season of Lent, leading up to the great celebration of Easter. Traditionally, it’s a time to check on our total health and renew our spirits. Each of us is a composite of body, mind, and spirit; if we neglect our spiritual well-being, we may not enjoy full health. Allow me to share with you some thoughts on spirituality, first by way of several general statements made by others, then, more specifically, through some websites on Ignatian spirituality.
"The spiritual core is the deepest center of the person. It is here that the person is open to the transcendent dimension; it is here that the person experiences ultimate reality."
Bernard McGinn, Roman Catholic author of many volumes on spirituality
"I believe that fundamentally spirituality has to do with becoming a person in the fullest sense. ... (Spirituality) brings to expression the conviction that to reality there belongs a depth, a complexity and a richness that are not exhausted by the visible and material objects presented to the senses."
John Macquarrie, Christian theologian
"Spirit is a natural dimension of every person. …The word spirituality goes further and describes an awareness of relationships with all creation, an appreciation of presence and purpose that includes a sense of meaning. … Persons find that their spirituality helps them maintain health, cope with illnesses, traumas, losses, and life transitions by integrating body, mind and spirit."
from a white paper, "Professional Chaplaincy: Its Role and Importance in Healthcare" in Journal of Pastoral Care, Spring 2001
"Spirituality is that aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, and to the significant or sacred."
an interdisciplinary consensus, "Clinical practice guidelines for support of the family in the patient-centered intensive care unit" reported in the Journal of Critical Care Medicine, February 2007, Vol. 35, Issue 2
I hope these websites are helpful to you, providing some good means to attain better total health and well-being throughout the year. One last link for young adults: www.faithconnections.ca
Sincerely,
Fr. Dan Gatti, S.J.
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