Truly and Fully Human

We have been created for union with God: our spiritual life is important. We have been created in the image and likeness of God: our emotions are part of this reality, willed by God to help us be more fully present to ourselves, to the world around us, and to him. Our spirituality, our emotionality, our reason, and our will do not operate to their fullest extent in isolation, but when working together.

The idea that we can isolate our own faith and spiritual life from our human emotions and instincts is a philosophical fiction. There is no moment, as human persons, in which we are only thinking, or operating in the intellectual sphere, any more than there is a moment in which we are only feeling.

Reason alone has no way of knowing or perceiving reality. It is presented with valuable information through our physical senses. Our emotions present it with valuable information as well, regarding non-physical, but no less real dimensions of what is going on both inside us and around us.

Our emotions are also a way God can communicate with us from within. We believe that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Trinity dwells within us. If our emotions are able to put us more fully in touch with the core of our being, it makes sense that, in so doing, they are able to connect us more deeply with the God who dwells in us.

If we are able to be in touch with and rightly understand our feelings, they will provide us with needed insight into what aspects of our life are drawing us closer to God and what aspects are pulling us away from him. Over time, by fine tuning our ability to feel and understand our emotions, we can become increasing more adept and sensitive to the ways God reveals himself to us in daily life.

How can we bring about an integration of emotion and spirituality in our own life?

One way is to start by just being more aware of your emotions and letting yourself truly feel them. This means focusing on 1) how you are feeling 2) why you are feeling that way and 3) what your feelings are telling you about yourself, or about your perception of another person or situation. This is a simple way of becoming more in tune with your emotions, which can bring great insight.

An understanding and connectedness with our emotions can also transform the way we pray. Incorporating music, writing and art into our prayer can help integrate our emotions. So can exploring how our environment (images, sounds, places) influences our prayer experience. Timing matters too: praying in the morning can be a different experience from praying midday and praying at night. Understanding our emotions can help us discern when and where to pray, and identify what thoughts and desires to bring to prayer. Personalizing our prayer is not meant to replace liturgical worship or traditional formulated prayers, but to expand our prayer beyond set times of worship, remaining connected to God throughout our day and involving our entire selves in doing so.

There is also a strong connection between emotions and virtue. Emotions are neither good nor bad in themselves, but our response to them can take on a moral character. Emotions can become a significant source of positive motivation that encourages virtuous behavior. Wonder and awe before nature and other aspects of life can lead us to a greater sense of reverence for the God who created all. Dignity and a sense of repulsion at injustice can culminate in virtues of charity and mercy. Emotions of gratitude, satisfaction, fulfilment and peace can bring us to a greater awareness of God’s presence and action in our lives.