AN ORTHODOX APPROACH TO PSYCOSOCIAL HEALTYHY SPIRITUALITY
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Defining Psychosocial Health Being Mentally, Emotionally,
Socially, and Spiritually Well
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Psychosocial Health F
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Elements Shared by Psychosocially Healthy Spiritual People They
feel good about themselves They feel comfortable with other people
They control tension and anxiety They are able to meet the demands
of life
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Elements Shared by Psychosocially Healthy People(continued)
They curb hate and guilt They maintain a positive outlook They
enrich the lives of others They cherish the things that make them
smile They value diversity They appreciate and respect nature How
do you view psychosocially healthy people?
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The Four Models 1)Sin Model: God is good, You are Evil person,
repent and stop it. 2)Truth Model: You will know the Truth and it
will set you free 3)Experience Model: Emotional archaeology Feel it
to heal it. 4)Charismatic Model: Miraculous healing. Henry Cloud
& John Townsend : How People Grow,Grand Rapids, Michigan 2001,
pp14,15
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Psychosocial Health Figure 2.1 Spiritual Health (Being)
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An Orthodox Approach
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(G911) (G911) & G907 This word should not be confused with
bapt (911). The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo
is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived
about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful
because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a
pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapt) into boiling
water and then 'baptised' (baptiz) in the vinegar solution. Both
verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the
first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable,
produces a permanent change.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/Le
xicon.cfm?Strongs=G907&t=KJV
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1. Trinitarian 1.The Holy Trinity working in me. 2.Personal
relationship with the Holy Trinity. 3.Mirroring the Life of the
Holy Trinity.
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2. Traditional One of the most important parts of Orthodox
theology is adherence to what is known as Holy Tradition, expressed
through changelessness even timelessness and a sense of living
continuity with the ancient Church (2 Thess 2:15). Tradition, in
the Orthodox Church, refers to the Holy Bible, the Creed of Nicaea
and Constantinople, the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, the
writings of Church Fathers, the Canons, service books, icons each
addition found in conformity with what came before, and primarily,
in conformity with the centre of our Tradition, Holy Scripture.
There is no conflict between Scripture and Tradition God, the
source of revelation, gave us the former and guides us with the
latter
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The church and Tradition are but two aspects for the life of
Faith. They are inseparable; we cant know one of them without the
other. By Tradition the church has her existence, acknowledges her
Bridegroom, practices His saving deed and accepts His divine
mysteries... By Tradition we discover the church gospel, accept it,
prserve it, live its rules and preach it... By Tradition we
recognize the sacramental and ecclesiastical life, the church
liturgies, hymns, rites etc... By Tradition we meet with the Church
Saints and Fathers, discover their lives in Jesus Christ, their
writings, take the blessings of their prayers and enjoy our
fellowship with them in Jesus Christ... By Tradition we understand
the Church canons, come in touch with its holy councils and their
works etc... In brief, we say that Tradition is the core of the
church, and without Tradition, the church cant exist, cant practice
her apostolic life, her continual renewal, her unity, nor live with
her genuine characteristics... Fr Tadros Malaty: Tradition and
Orthodoxy, Alexandria 1979, p58
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2.1 The Scriptures The full authority of the Scriptures
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2.2 Liturgies Liturgical year The two wings of the Liturgy:
1)Personal Act. 2)Corporate Act.
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Sacramental The seven Sacrament.
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2.3 Creeds Nicean Creed Contantino-Nicean Creed
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2.4 Church canons For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to
us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:
29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from
things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep
yourselves from these, you will do well. Acts 15:28
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2.5 Patrology Consensus Patrum
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2.6 Icons
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3. Theandric = Eucharistic Repentance And Confession Communion
and exchange of Life Eternal life from now.
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Conclusion There is a little story that brings some perspective
when studying spiritual experiences from a scientific view. A man
saw his friend searching for something on the ground. What have you
lost, my brother? he asked. My key, said the man. So his friend
went down on his knees too, and they both looked for it. After a
time, the other man asked: Where exactly did you drop it? In my own
house. Then why are you looking here? There is more light here than
inside my own house. While the scientific research on prayer and
spiritual practices are fascinating and at times validating of the
spiritual tradition within Christianity, we need to balance this
with the understanding that we may be looking in the wrong place if
we desiring to understand the spiritual world. The eklessia, that
is all that the Christian church holds to be true for our salvation
process, has been imparted us through the writings and exemplary
lives of the saints which are proof of its effectiveness. Healing
our minds through communion with God is often the darker and more
mysterious path. The lighted path of this world is often our
intellect, our reason, our ego and our selfishness. St. Isaac the
Syrian, the great mystic of the ancient Christian church puts it
this way: Make peace with yourself, and heaven and earth will make
peace with you. Take pains to enter your own innermost chamber and
you will see the chamber of heaven, for they are one and the same,
and in entering one you behold them both. [1] [1] [1] [1] St. Isaac
the Syrian as cited in Archimandrite IONNIKIOS, Themes from the
Philokalia: Watchfulness and Prayer, No. 1 (Minneapolis: Light and
Life Publishing Co., 1988) pg. 3. See also Luke 17:20-21 Once,
having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would
come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your
careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There
it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.