AN ORTHODOX APPROACH TO PSYCOSOCIAL HEALTYHY SPIRITUALITY

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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

• Sin Model God is good, You are Evil person,
  repent and stop it.
• Truth Model You will know the Truth and it will
  set you free
• Experience Model Emotional archaeology Feel it
  to heal it.
• Charismatic Model Miraculous healing.
• Henry Cloud John Townsend How People Grow
  ,Grand Rapids, Michigan 2001 , pp14,15

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Psychosocial Health
Spiritual Health (Being)
Figure 2.1
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An Orthodox Approach
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ß?pt? (G911) ßapt??? G907

• This word should not be confused with baptô
  (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' (baptô) into boiling water and
  then 'baptised' (baptizô) 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/Lexico
  n.cfm?StrongsG907tKJV

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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
  215).
• 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
• Personal Act.
• 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 1528

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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 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 1720-21 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.