Ranjivost Crkve kroz zloporabu moći, tijela i savjesti

The wounds on the Body of Christ are a part of God’s identity. Pierced arms, hips, and legs are a sign and testimony of the Paschal Mystery that is Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The Church is a vulnerable and wounded Body, just as any other person is vulnerable and wounded. The Body of the Church and the body of a person can be wounded by processes that take place within the Body/bodies, and other institutions, persons, states, Churches, religions. The article discusses the wounding of the Church due to the consequences of the processes that take place within the body, and above all, due to the abuse of power, body, and conscience. When the body is exposed to the gaze of others due to being wounded, then a reaction is possible through the feeling of shame, through a complex experience that speaks of the inner process of a being that feels ashamed, which is exposed to the gaze of others. Recovery from wounding is a lengthy process that requires openness, honesty, wound detection, and talking about the course of events that led to wounding. At the same time, the wounded Body needs help, hence the article talks about possible recovery from abuse through tenderness, compassion, empathy, spiritual monitoring of people on their path to recovery.Rane na Kristovu tijelu jesu dio Božjeg identiteta. Probodene ruke, bok i noge znak su i svjedočanstvo pashalnog misterija, to jest muke, smrti i uskrsnuća. Crkva je ranjivo i ranjeno tijelo, baš kao što je i svaka druga osoba ranjiva i ranjena. Tijelo Crkve i tijelo osobe može biti ranjeno procesima koji se događaju unutar tijela, ali i u odnosu s drugim institucijama, osobama, državama, crkvama, religijama, tijelima. U članku se govori o izranjenosti Crkve zbog posljedica procesa koji se događaju unutar samoga tijela, a napose zbog zloporabe moći, tijela i savjesti. Kada je tijelo zbog izranjenosti izloženo pogledu drugih, tada je moguća reakcija osjećaj srama, kompleksnog doživljavanja koje govori o nutarnjem procesu bića koje se srami budući da je izloženo pogledu drugih. Oporavak od izranjenosti dugotrajan je proces koji traži otvorenost, iskrenost, otkrivanje rana i govor o tijekovima koji su doveli do izranjenosti. U isto vrijeme ranjenom tijelu je potrebna pomoć te se stoga u članku govori o mogućim oporavcima od zloporabe, putem nježnosti, suosjećanja, empatije, duhovnog praćenja osoba na njihovu putu oporavka

COMPASSION: AN EXPRESSION OF CHARITY IN TREATMENT OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ILLNESS IN INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES

This article discusses the notion of compassion using interdisciplinary approach - theological and psychological - providing a brief development of the notion, as well as distinct image in relation to other, similar notions. Seeing that compassion contributes to psychological, spiritual, as well as socialhealth, the article also discusses the importance of compassion in life of individuals and communities. Compassion is also one of the core notions in world religions, and it is key to making communication between religions possible, and equally importantly, opens up a dialogue between religion and various scientific approaches. This article mostly refers to the notion of compassion as described in the Bible, namely New Testament, from aspect of Christianity. Still, in a smaller extent, we researched how Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism perceive and describe compassion. Development of compassion in personal and social relations greatly helps in achieving a healthier society, both for individuals and for the whole communities. Key words

Life Challenges with Psychological Consequences Connected to Growing up in War and Post-War Conditions

The article examines the relationship between the “Don’t Exist” injunction and the developmental conditions of two groups of adolescents: those who grew up alongside parents who experienced war and post-war conditions, and those who grew up in conditions of peace. Growing up in war and post-war conditions means, for adolescents, that they incorporate the injunctive messages “Do not exist” more than those who grow up in conditions of peace. Injunctive messages from parents were expressed non-verbally during the early years of today’s adolescents’ upbringing. The consequence of having high levels of the injunction “Don’t Exist” is observed through the psychological indisposition that we detected with the ESPERO questionnaire. The research results reported in this article refer to research conducted among Croatian adolescents in the spring of 2011. These adolescents were born during the war against Croatia (1991-1995) and were between 1-3 years old. The results show us that there is a statistically significant difference between adolescents raised in war and post-war conditions with adolescents raised in peaceful conditions. Based on the data, seven psychoeducational steps are suggested for the healthy development of a person and for a possible way of life for those who have suffered the consequences of war. In addition to this, the significant contribution of transactional analysis to the understanding of psychological processes in social relationships is highlighted

Karl T. Jaspers and Viktor E. Frankl: Compared Thoughts of Two Psychiatrist

In reflecting on existence Jaspers and Frankl, each in their own way think, explain, and analyze the concept of existence. While Jaspers says that existence can be explained in particular in limit situations and existential communication, Frankl says that the existence can be interpreted during the life giving on the importance of what is existentially. Based on the read scriptures we are concluding that Jaspers influenced Frankl’s thought. In their minds we find similar ideas, which the authors named in a different way, sometimes with slight differences, but the differences are obvious as when it comes to understanding and finding meaning, etc. Both speak of spiritual dimension, difficult and limit situations of life, existence, of responsibilities, psychotherapy, meaning of life, etc. Jaspers and Frankl were botch psychiatrists, and it can be shown that they base their won ideas on a long practice, although they have different approaches. Jaspers in his approach emphasizes existential dimension, while Frankl explicitly emphasizes the importance of spiritual dimension in human life. The correspondence between these two authors are also points on reciprocal understanding their views and ideas. While Frankl acts and thinks in view of practical application, Jaspers is interested primarily in philosophical consistency of his conception

Fear and trust in man

Strah i povjerenje nisu isključive nego uključujuće dimenzije ljudskog života. U širokom rasponu odnosa između povjerenja i straha većina ljudi tijekom svojeg života proživljava i jednu i drugu stvarnost. I strah i povjerenje imaju svoj pozitivan i negativan vid ovisno o situaciji, osobnom raspoloženju, kontekstu u kojemu se osoba kreće, životnom iskustvu itd. Također, to su dvije dinamične stvarnosti. Kada ih longitudinalno promatramo, uočavamo krivulje uspona i pada. Među različitim strahovima posebnu pažnju u radu posvećujemo socijalnom anksioznom poremećaju. Mnoštvo je čimbenika koji su povezani sa strahom i povjerenjem. Poznato je da roditelji i druge važne figure od samog djetinjstva utječu na razvoj djeteta i na njegovo povjerenje i strah, no u ovom ćemo se radu zaustaviti na odnosu oca prema sinu i kakve to posljedice ostavlja na razvoj sina te na njegovo povjerenje i strah.Fear and trust are not exclusive but inclusive dimensions of human life. Most people throughout their lives live through both realities in the wide range of relationships between trust and fear. Both fear and trust have a positive and negative aspect, depending on the situation, personal mood, the context in which a person exists, life experience, and so on. Also, these are two dynamic realities  that, when looked at longitudinally, then we see the curves rise and fall. Among various fears,  in this work we pay  special attention to  social anxiety disorder. There are many factors that are associated with fear and confidence. It is well known that since childhood, parents and other significant figures, influence  the development of the child, its trust and fear. In our work we will focus on the relationship between the father and son, and what consequences it has on the development of the son, and on his feelings of trust and fear

Coping with Guilt and Shame

Prepoznavati osjećaje koji otežavaju uspostavljanje odnosa s drugima važno je za psihičko i duhovno blagostanje osobe jer kada se upoznamo s njima i postajemo svjesni kako utječu na život, moguće ih je mijenjati radi punijega odnosa s drugima. S tom nakanom u našem radu istražujemo složene osjećaje krivnje i srama, prepoznajući u njima potencijal za sazrijevanje osobe u odnosu prema sebi, drugima i Bogu. Oba osjećaja prisutna su od samih početaka pisane riječi o čovjeku, no njihova aktualnost i danas ima svoje značenje u psihologiji i teologiji. I jedan i drugi značajno utječu na prekid odnosa, a odnos prepoznajemo kao temeljnu potrebu čovjeka kao društvenoga bića, te je stoga bitno vidjeti kako osobi pomoći u obnovi, kultiviranju i unaprjeđivanju odnosa. Promišljali smo o tim dvjema stvarnostima kako bismo ponudili konkretne i specifične prijedloge u suočavanju i integriranju istih.To identify the feelings that make it difficult to establish relationships with others is important for the physical and spiritual well-being of a person, because when we do identify them and become aware of how they affect our lives, then we can change them in order to achieve fuller relationships with others. To this end, in this paper we will analyze the complex feelings of guilt and shame, recognizing their potential for helping people to mature in their relationships with themselves, with others and with God. Both of these feelings are present from the beginning of the written word about man, but their topicality makes them significant for psychology and theology even today. Both guilt and shame significantly affect the termination of relationships, which are recognized as a basic need of man as a social being, therefore it is important to see how can we help a person to restore, cultivate and improve their relationships. We have meditated on these two realities to offer concrete and specific proposals on how to address and integrate them

Importance of Compassion and Compassionate Love in the Actvity of Priests in Times of Crisis

U članku se prikazuju definicije i značenje suosjećanja i suosjećajne ljubavi, ističu se karakteristike jedne i druge, te se povezuje sa životom svećenika. Suosjećanje je prije svega okrenuto razumijevanju situacije osobe koja pati i spremnosti ublažavanja patnje, dok suosjećajna ljubav uključuje i pružanje podrške osobi kako bi povećala kvalitetu vlastita života i kako bi ostvarila svoje moguće potencijale. Shematski su prikazani modeli suosjećajne ljubavi i svećeničke suosjećajne ljubavi. Povezujući je sa suosjećanjem, opisuje se i uloga svećenika kao sluge voditelja kojem u vođenju zajednica napose pomaže kvaliteta suosjećanja, koja ima svoj prvi korak u sposobnosti slušanja drugih, napose onih koji prolaze kroz neki oblik patnja i trpljenja u svom životu. Na tragu promišljanja pape Franje i analize njegova suosjećajnog vodstva navedeni su prioritetni načini svećeničkog djelovanja u vremenima krize. Trajna usmjerenost drugima, napose kada se nalaze u patnji, može dovesti i do zamora suosjećanjem te se u zadnjem dijelu rada objašnjava model otpornosti u zamoru suosjećanjem, zaključujući pak rad idejama o prevenciji zamora suosjećanjem i nekim praktičnim smjernicama za osposobljavanje svećenika prema suosjećajnom djelovanju.The article outlines the definitions and meaning of compassion and compassionate love, highlighting the characteristics of both, and connecting them to the life of a priest. Compassion is primarily focused on understanding the situation of the person who is suffering and the willingness to alleviate the suffering, while compassionate love also includes providing support to the person in order to increase the quality of their own life, in order to realize their potential. The models of compassionate love and priestly compassionate love are presented schematically. With reference to compassion, the article describes the role of priests as servant leaders, aided in leading communities by the virtue of compassion, which arises from the ability to listen to others, in particular those who are experiencing some form of suffering in their lives. Based on the reflection of Pope Francis and the analysis of his compassionate leadership, the priorities and ways of priestly activity in times of crisis are listed. Permanent focus on others, especially when they are suffering, can also lead to compassion fatigue, and the last chapter of the article explains the model of resilience in compassion fatigue, concluding the work with ideas on the prevention of compassion fatigue and some practical guidelines for training priests to act compassionately

The Role and Contribution of Women in Building the Culture of Dialogue and Collaboration in the Church

Odnos ženâ i muškaracâ u Crkvi ostvaruje se u recipročnoj jednakosti i različitosti, pri čemu se u međusobnoj suradnji i dijalogu obogaćuju i stvaraju kulturu dijaloga. Žene svojim djelovanjem održavaju budan pogled cijele Crkve u odnosu na ono bitno u društvu i u Crkvi. Poimanje, doprinos te razumijevanje ženâ u društvu i u Crkvi ima svoje sličnosti, ali i različitosti, pri čemu se ženski genij ostvaruje i u jednoj i u drugoj stvarnosti, to jest i u crkvenoj i u društvenoj. Tijekom povijesti postojanja Crkve temeljna je vrijednost žene vrijednost služenja koja svoj ideal, nadahnuće i potpuno ostvarenje ima u Sluzi Božjem. Usto su žene u Crkvi esencijalno prisutne i na mnoge druge načine te je potrebno prepoznavati ono što one u Crkvi čine od samoga njezina postojanja. Nedovoljno vrednovanje doprinosa ženâ u izgradnji kulture dijaloga i suradnje ovisi i o slici samih ženâ o vlastitu identitetu i poslanju te su stoga upravo žene pozvane asertivno graditi zajednicu Crkve, iznoseći vlastite prijedloge, poglede i ideje, ali i sumnje, poteškoće. Okrenuti budućnosti svjesni smo kako će aktivne promjene u Crkvi posebice unositi mlade generacije ženâ, a među prioritetima prepoznavanja doprinosa ženâ smatramo kako je potrebno vrednovati njihovo već aktivno djelovanje u različitim područjima. Kao mogući izazov vidimo uključivanje ženâ u formaciju i odgoj bogoslova i svećenika, poštujući integritet i posebnost poslanja ženâ i muškaracâ, koji se ostvaruje u Crkvi na različite, već postojeće načine, dajući pritom nove i kreativne prijedloge, ostajući bliski svakom čovjeku.The relation between women and men in the Church is realised on the basis of reciprocal equality and dissimilarity. In mutual cooperation and dialogue they enrich themselves and create the culture of dialogue. By their activity women maintain the awareness of the whole Church for what is important in society and church. Comprehension, contribution, and understanding of women in society and in Church have their similarities and differences. However, the genius of women is realised in both of these spheres, in church as well as in society. Fundamental value that women embodiedthroughout the history of the Church is value of serving that finds its ideal, inspiration, and complete realisation in The Servant of God. Apart from that, women are essentially present in the Church in many other ways, so it is necessary to recognise whatthey have been doing in the Church from its beginning. The poor valuation of contribution of women in building of culture of dialogue and cooperation is also due to depiction of women themselves about their own identity and mission. Therefore, women are called especially to assertively build the Church community by presenting their own proposals, views, ideas, doubts, and troubles. By looking towards the future we are aware that active changes in Church will be brought especially by the young generation of women. Among priorities of recognition of contribution of women, we believe that it is of utmost necessity to value their already active work in different areas. We see inclusion of women in the formation and upbringing of seminarians and priests as a possible challenge. This ought to be realised in a manner that respects integrity and distinctiveness of mission of women and men that is being realized in Church in different already existing ways, while offering new and creative suggestions and staying close to every human being