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Strength: a contemplative companion to Chapter 5 of Growing up to be a child.

As a paediatrician, I am often referred young children who are delayed in their development, including those who are slow in learning to walk. When I am assessing a young child’s ability to stand and walk, I need to provide him with support and a stable base so he feels secure.

 

Esther 1993In this contemplative guide, we take time to reflect on a child’s journey in learning to walk and our own spiritual journeys. Through a prayer of examen or a meditation on scripture, we draw near to our loving creator, who is there to hold each one of us securely in his embrace, giving us the strength and courage to take those first, tentative steps.

 

Click here to go to the contemplative companion to Chapter 5 of Growing up to be a child.

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Humanness: a contemplative companion to Chapter 4 of Growing up to be a child

This contemplation, based on chapter 4 of Growing up to be a child, explores what it means to be a human being.

 

Esther 2002006In his gospel, Luke recounts how the child Jesus ‘grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and with the people.’  Luke’s description suggests four domains or areas in which children grow and develop into adults: mental development (‘wisdom’), physical development (‘stature’), spiritual development (‘favour with God’) and social development (‘favour with the people’)…

 

 

 

 

One of the most powerful aspects of Judaism and Christianity is that all these elements of our humanity are combined in our relationship to God. We are not just spiritual beings temporarily housed in physical bodies. We are human beings: physical, mental, social, and spiritual.

This is reflected in the great Shema prayer in Deuteronomy: ‘Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai ehad’[4] (‘Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one’).[5] The prayer affirms the unity of God and his relationship to his people. It goes on to focus on our response to God: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’[6] This response comes from the totality of our humanness.

Pause for a while; reflect; celebrate who you are – a wonderful person, body, mind, heart and soul.

Click here to go to the contemplative companion to Chapter 4 of Growing up to be a child.

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Maslow’s Fallacy and a Community Right to Beauty

I have a bit of a problem with Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Need. It’s not that I disagree with his classification of different types of human need, nor his emphasis on the importance of ensuring that all people, everywhere, have a right for their basic physical needs of nutrition, water and safety to be met. But I do wonder whether presenting these, along with other, ‘higher level’ needs as a hierarchy risks condoning inequalities, fragmenting our view of ourselves as human beings, and demeaning those who are less privileged?

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