Gloria Dei est vivens homo !
The glory of God is living man. The first reason that I am writing for Psyched Catholic is because I realize just how much the full weight of this quote by St. Irenaeus (also commonly translated “The glory of God is man fully alive”) eludes me. Irenaeus goes on to note that man is most alive in Heaven. That is, we will be most fully alive, living in the truest and fullest sense, when we see God face to face in the Beatific Vision. It seems, however, that by virtue of
the fact that we share in the Divine Life by grace this phrase must have some relevance and meaning to those of us who do not yet have the Beatific Vision. So, Psyched Catholic is my chance to think deeply about God’s glory and living man. In this space I want to contemplate and explore lines given to us by the Church like “man cannot find himself, except through a sincere gift of self,” and “Christ…fully reveals man to man himself.” The wisdom of the Church and of her Saints has much to teach me about how to live the life of grace well. I have come to believe that solid psychology can assist in this venture as well. With Psyched Catholic I want to plunder Egypt’s gold and take what is true, good, and beautiful from psychology and explore how it can benefit our spiritual lives. From my own experiences and those of intimate friends and family I know that barriers to psychological and emotional health, whether they be traumas from the past, addictions, or mental disorders can often impeded our spiritual growth and relationship with God. Psychology can be used to help clear away the rubble that may be impeding grace, freeing us to flourish. Read More →