Spiritual Nourishment Research Articles

Physical and Spiritual Nourishment in the Catechetical Homilies of John Chrysostom

This article explores the previously underexamined dimension of physical and spiritual nourishment in John Chrysostom’s catechetical homilies, addressing two central inquiries: 1) Chrysostom’s expectations for new church members’ approach to eating and drinking, and 2) the connection between nourishment and their life as members of the liturgical community. Through a systematic analysis, the study reveals a threefold approach to Question 1. Firstly, Chrysostom cautions against the abuse of sustenance, emphasizing its corruptive impact on both body and soul. Secondly, the author expounds upon the functions of nutritional moderation, using the concept of fasting as an image of salutary abstinence from sin. Thirdly, Chrysostom discusses spiritual nourishment, distributed through homiletical discourse and the Eucharist. Addressing Question 2, the study finds connections between hymnody and nutritional moderation, promoting an “angelic” lifestyle that prepares individuals for deeper spiritual nourishment. The article concludes by highlighting the universal applicability of Chrysostom’s teachings on nourishment, intended for all members of the Church, regardless of their level of spiritual maturity, guiding them from moderate consumption of physical sustenance to participation in spiritual nourishment and the pursuit of eternal life.

We See You: A Co-Constructed Autoethnography of Black Women Educators Subverting Carcerality in Community with Black Students

This study examines the school experiences of Black students and the perceived impact that we (the researchers) as Black women educators have had on these experiences. We conducted a series of focus groups with thirty-four former and current students, all of whom identify as Black. Our questions centered around various aspects of the students’ high school experiences, specifically as they related to their reflections on their relationships with Black teachers compared to the school community at large. We found that overall, students reported having positive experiences with us as Black women and often felt humanized in our classes. These findings suggest that Black women educators like us, who use their pedagogy (influenced by their positionality) to subvert carceral and antiblack school policy and culture, employ what we have conceptualized as the Core Tenets of Spiritual Nourishment: (1) a sense of belonging, (2) visibility, (3) room to make mistakes, (4) representation, (5) support navigating the pressures of systemic racism and Black fatigue, (6) safe spaces to unpack traumas and (7) love perceived.

An Overview of Foreign Literature Studies in China from 1949 to 2019

In retrospect of foreign literature studies in China from 1949 to 2019, we have to acknowledge two fundamental facts. Firstly, although in the initial 30 years of this period foreign literature studies in China largely followed the Soviet model, neglecting Western literary and cultural traditions to some extent—with over a decade under the influence of extreme “leftist” trends—it was during this time that the groundwork for the academic framework of foreign literature studies was painstakingly laid. Secondly, with the influx of Western ideas, foreign literature studies during the subsequent 40 years underwent a complete paradigm shift, providing the spiritual nourishment for and playing a pioneering role in liberating thought and rectifying disorders. However, this period saw a conspicuous adoption of Western paradigms in foreign literature studies, thereby somewhat abandoning certain valuable traditions and academic stances that ought to have been upheld. Meanwhile, foreign literature studies in this period also experienced an undiscriminating acceptance and hasty integration of ideas, leading to a mixture of the good and the bad. This essay provides an important overview of 70 years of foreign literature studies in China, though the specific situations are much more complex. In recent years, as the ideas of cultural confidence and a community of shared future for mankind deeply resonate with the public, the principles of serving the Chinese people and Chinese socialist cause are increasingly becoming significant recognitions within China’s foreign literature scholarly community.

Study on the Development Status and Prospects of Public History in Contemporary China

Public history is a combination of traditional historiography popularization, in which many topics related to social practice may arise. Public history is beneficial for improving the knowledge level of the general public. The United States was the first to begin the study of public history, and then public history was introduced to China. The development of Chinese public history is reflected in various film and television historiography, and has been integrated into the daily lives of the general public. The development of contemporary Chinese public history is also reflected in museum historical architecture and folk genealogy. The main reason for the rise of Chinese historiography is that the general public has increasingly high demands for spiritual nourishment, and there are more and more educated people. Public history has gained a lot of attention in this environment. The dissemination of works that combine many historical themes has aroused strong interest among the public. After two launches of public history in China, public history experienced an outbreak in the second round. The government and the public paid more attention to topics related to public history, which made the development of public history more prosperous.

Deconstructing workplace spirituality: revealing the dynamics of psychological conformity and compilation of authentic nourishers in spiritual nourishment

ABSTRACT Workplace spirituality is a psycho-theological phenomenon understood generally as employees’ inner drive to connect with fellows at work and become mindful of one’s inner consciousness, while pursuing a purposeful work. However, there exists an inherent probability that what is promoted as workplace spirituality is truly a cloaked version of psychological conformity on part of the employees. The present study incorporates an argumentative analysis to deconstruct how workplace spirituality in its present form is more inclined toward material pursuits rather than spiritual nourishment. Moreover, the study also provides a compilation of authentic nourishers who, when cultivated thoroughly in the workplace, can be amenable toward spiritual flourishing. In addition to explaining the significance of number 17 amongst spiritual traditions, the paper explores 17 different fragments which are required for spiritual nourishment.

Hristianizaciya Ordy v XIV – pervoj polovine XV v.

The article examines the missionary and canonical activities of the Russian Orthodox clergy in the Horde during the period of pressure from the Catholic West and the Islamization of the Horde, the activities of the Sarai bishopric, aimed not only at the spiritual nourishment of the Russians in the Horde, but also at the spread of Christianity among other peoples, including those surrounding the Horde khans, interaction metropolitans and Sarai bishops with the descendants of Genghis Khan, which created a certain stability of the church organization in Eastern Europe.

윤리적인 미식의 이해와 실천

Following Brillat-Savarin’s aphorism, “You are what you eat”, many contemporary literary scholars and college professors have been increasingly drawn to food-centric studies. They seek to articulate and develop the profound connection between food consumption and personal identity. Remarkably, in the USA and Canada, some scholars advocate for literature courses that combine literary analysis with immersive experiences like food-oriented field trips, cooking classes, and communal dining. These courses allow students to explore the intricate relationship between food, culture, environment, politics, and economics. This paper asserts that by participating in such courses, college students can derivate intellectual enrichment and practical skills in the culinary arts. Furthermore, these courses encourage students to consider their connections to the place and environment where the food was made. With the aim of inspiring the design of a creative and interdisciplinary curriculum for undergraduate students, this paper proposes that Yann Martel’s 2001 novel Life of Pi as a potential text suitable for food-oriented classes. It demonstrates that Life of Pi is, in essence, a food narrative that underscores the importance of physical and spiritual nourishment. Additionally, it outlines a pedagogical approach for using Life of Pi in a classroom setting that seamlessly blends literary study and culinary projects.

ON THE FORMATION OF THE PRODUCTION SECTOR IN UZBEKISTAN

We cannot imagine the life of society without the system of art and culture. In particular, pop and public performances are art forms that can actively influence the culture and spirituality of our society and have powerful tools. Movies, music, songs, etc. Provide spiritual nourishment to the viewer. In the era of advanced techniques and technologies, it is an urgent issue to officially form a production profession that can fully use effective tools and all opportunities.

The Psychological Aspect in the Dialogue of Civilizations : Stereotypes and Effects

The research paper deals with the subject of the psychological aspect in the dialogue of civilizations in terms of the types of personalities and their effects in a preface that regulates the search terms to define the psychological aspect and clarify what is meant by the dialogue of civilizations both linguistically and terminologically. Then, the researcher tackles two topics, the first is about the analysis of the psychological patterns of the interlocutors and the rules for dealing with them which subsume two requirements, the first about the psychological patterns of the interlocutors and the second about the rules for dealing with these patterns in the civilized dialogue. The second topic, it deals with the psychological effects in the dialogue of civilizations, and there are two requirements under it as well. Thefirst concerns the negative effects, and the second the positive effects. The Research adopts the descriptive analytical approach and utilizes the topics of psychology in the practice of the dialogue of civilizations to synthesize and mix knowledge between two different fields of knowledge to establish a construct capable of achieving cognitive integration between disciplines. Then the research paper reaches a number of conclusions, such as: The psychological patterns of interlocutors are numerous, including the nervous, the curious, the quarrelsome, and the quiet patterns. And among the rules for dealing with these patterns are: defining the psychological pattern, understanding the behavior, promoting spiritual nourishment and purity of faith, featuring discipline and psychological balance, and highlighting the need for guidance and psychological counseling. As for the psychological effects in the dialogue of civilizations, they are divided into negative ones, such as introversion, avoidance of dialogues, a sense of meaninglessness, the absence of goals, projecting interlocutors, and sabotaging dialogue. In contrast, the positive ones include: accepting difference, acceptance of dialogue, psychological exploration, self-review, emotional sharing, and continuous interaction. The paper recommends the need to activate the theory of psychology in the practice of the dialogues of civilizations, and to delve deeper into conducting research studies, especially the field ones to cover this topic, in order to be effective in the studies on the dialogue of civilizations.

Pupils’ Participation in Online Eucharistic Celebration During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Covid-19 Pandemic has brought a lot of restrictions, especially on physical gatherings. Despite this crisis, St. Paul University Surigao continues to aid the spiritual nourishment of the students. SPUS has made use of different social media platforms to continue the spiritual well-being of the students by live-streaming the Eucharistic Celebration. Thus, this study aims to understand the spiritual well-being of the students of St. Paul University and how online Eucharistic Celebration helps their spiritual well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Spiritual Health and Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) shows whether there is harmony or dissonance in the ideal spiritual well-being and the lived experience of the participants where each person becomes the standard by which they are being measured, rather than being compared to other groups. Results have shown that there was no significant difference between the ideals and lived experiences of the pupils in terms of their spiritual well-being. The online Eucharistic Celebration highly helped the students in their spiritual with a very high level of harmony. Thus, the online Mass helped them cope with their spiritual well-being despite the situation brought on by the Pandemic.

Indigenous landscaping and biophilic urbanism: case studies in Noongar Six Seasons

BackgroundIndigenous landscaping has had a revival with Indigenous cultures as an important part of multiculturalism. The landscape elements are generally gleaned from Indigenous Elders and from anthropological texts and pre-invasion history texts (e.g. explorers’ notebooks) that enable an understanding of the ecological, food, and medicine aspects of their propagation. The purpose of this study was to examine how Indigenous landscaping (knowledge, values, management methods, use) can assist with biophilic urbanism, the new approach to bringing natural systems into the built environment. This emphasizes the importance of place meanings in biophilic design. It will illustrate this in Western Australia using the Noongar People’s Six Seasons of distinct landscape each with importance for providing a living environment (shelter, food, medicine, and spiritual nourishment) and as a basic requirement for biodiversity management over 60,000 years.ResultsThe study presents key reasons to include Indigenous interpretive landscaping into biophilic urbanism. Case studies in Six Seasons Gardens are used to show how integrating a cultural element into landscaping can bring many advantages. From the analysis of the case studies, we identified qualities of Indigenous Local Native Gardens. Several reasons for prioritising Indigenous landscaping in urban settings are proposed. These highlight cultural, educational, and professional values that can be achieved.ConclusionsIn this paper, we presented three case studies of urban indigenous and native gardens. We highlighted implications for adding indigenous dimensions to the management of the natural and built environments and brought to attention how indigenous landscaping is a conveyor of meaning, inclusive culture, and the importance of biodiversity. The future of biophilic urbanism will depend on whether sufficient contact with historians, anthropologists, and remnant indigenous communities can be made in order to emphasize the value for all aspects of biophilic urbanism in creating a deeper sense of place.

THE ROLE OF ISLAM AND SIKHISM IN CHECKING RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE

In recent times, the biggest obstacle to ensuring the security and dignity of human beings is the rise of religious intolerance. The problem needs a broad explanation. There have been several reasons behind the increase in this problem. This study explores misconceptions and lack of knowledge about different religions as one of the principal reasons for the rise of religious intolerance. Misconceptions about secularism and pluralism also accelerate the problem. The present researcher considers that violations of human rights and lack of religious freedom are the root causes of the rise of intolerance and religious extremism. Religious norms and values, and the objective study of different religious faiths play a significant role in establishing a peaceful society. The present research tries to find out the notion of Islam and Sikhism, in resisting religious intolerance on the one hand and establishing communal harmony on the other. Human beings do not live only for material necessities. There is a strong need for the spiritual nourishment of every human being. In this perspective, religions convey the universal messages of peace, security, tolerance and the protection of human rights and dignity among all, irrespective of class, race, and caste. The current paper deals with liberal approaches of Islam and Sikhism that encompass the spirit of brotherhood, catholicity, equality, pluralism, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence among the followers of different faiths.

About the life and creativity of Hajimolla Mahammad Nakhchivani, a great representative of the XIX century

The article studies the life and work of Haji Molla Mahammad Nakhchivani, who is important for the study of manuscripts about Nakhchivan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which are still unknown to the scientific community. Thus, the structure, philological-textological analysis and palaeographic features of his works “Sahabad-Dumu”, “Kashkulun-Nur”, “Mazahir al-Anwar”, “Gurratul-Absar”, “Durratul-Abrar” were widely studied and certain scientific conclusions have been reached. Based on the research, it was determined how rich and comprehensive the creative activity of H.M Nakhchivani is. Also, along with the structural analysis of these works, which are a valuable product of his intense creative work, it was determined that their palaeographic features are even more scientific for the modern period. Purposeful research on the life and work of prominent scientists formed by the Nakhchivan environment in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries shows that authors with truly rich knowledge and skills beme indelible figures in history. The works of Nasreddin Tusi, Ekmeleddin Nakhchivani, Najmaddin Nakhchivani, Hindushah Nakhchivani, Nematullah Nakhchivani, Mahammadali Nakhchivani, Huseyn Javid, Mirza Jalil, Mahammad Taghi Sidgi, Mammad Said Ordubadi and others, who made remarkable efforts in enlightening of Azerbaijani people, could find their worthy place. The works of such well-known personalities have found their rightful place. Any work written by them was included in the list of pearls of human culture and has been serving mankind for centuries. These valuable sources of philosophical, literary, artistic, scientific, historical and logical ideas created by our thinkers save their value by passing down from generation to generation as our national treasure. One of such thinkers is Haji Molla Mahammad Nakhchivani, who was born in Nakhchivan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and received material and spiritual nourishment from this land.

THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACT OF MM ON NATIONAL CULTURE: APPEARANCES AND MANIFESTATIONS

This article discusses the positive and negative impact of MM on national culture: appearances and manifestations. It is important to note that this book includes the country in which the manuscript was written, under whose patronage, in which language, even the name of the copyist, the place of writing, and the registry numbers where the manuscript was kept. The presentation of such a collection of rare works, which can give spiritual nourishment to a person, was also shown to the general public through mass media.

Начальный этап русско-китайских культурных взаимодействий

The article focuses on the role of cultural exchanges between Russia and China in the 19th century and highlights the following aspects of Russian-Chinese cultural interactions at the initial stage: the first trips of Chinese diplomats abroad, the role of the Orthodox mission in spreading knowledge about China in Russia, literature exchange, the contribution of Russian writers to popularizing Chinese culture and of Chinese writers and revolutionaries to popularizing Russian literature. The author came to the following conclusions. The Chinese diplomatic mission in Russia in the 19th century was not numerous (Bin Chun, Li Hongzhan and some others); visits of official delegations were not frequent either, which had some implications for the negligible outcome of long-term interactions and cultural exchanges. Another opportunity to get acquainted with China and Chinese culture was provided by the establishment of the Russian Orthodox Mission, which played an important role in spreading knowledge about China in Russia, as well as in the birth of Russian Chinese studies and the formation of a pleiad of Orientalists (Bichurin, Vasilyev). Chinese literature in Russia was in demand among not only scholars, but also writers, who contributed greatly to the dissemination of Chinese culture. Russian literature developed an interest in Chinese culture and classical literature, which was reflected in the works of Pushkin and Tolstoy. “Chinese motifs” are heard in Ruslan and Lyudmila, Eugene Onegin, and “To a Friend”. Pushkin also researched and edited expedition reports and letters about China. He was a friend of Bichurin and positively evaluated his translation of San Zi Jing (Rus. Troeslovie; En. The Three Character Classic). Tolstoy seriously studied Confucianism and Taoism and was directly involved in the translation of the Tao Te Ching from French and German. China also gradually began to become familiar with Russian literature. Tolstoy's works had the greatest influence - they were very common in China at the beginning of the twentieth century. Many young people of the time - first of all, revolutionaries and writers, the first leaders of the Communist Party of China (Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun and Hu Shih, Mao Dun, Ba Jin, etc.) - liked Tolstoy's works. The worldview of Tolstoy the thinker and the humanistic spirit of his works became an important spiritual nourishment for the development of modern Chinese literature; together with translations of his texts, Russian cultural and philosophical views entered the Chinese spiritual space. Further processes of interaction and exchanges between the two countries took place in various directions, became a link for modern international cooperation and the desire for common development at the beginning of the 21st century.

Stakeholder Engagement, Resource Mobilization and Leadership Style on Sustainability of the Anglican Church Funded Projects in Kenya

Churches play a critical role in the alleviation of socio-economic challenges of people in various places of the world through church funded projects. In Kenya, for instance, Anglican Churches invest huge resources each year in the sustainability of income-generating projects. These projects include provision of education, healthcare and food. This is done alongside the Church’s core function of the spiritual nourishment of its members. At times, Church-funded projects are brought to a sudden halt with the transfer of an individual minister in the church or after the demise of donors or withdrawal of funds by donors. These circumstances lead to serious sustainability challenges of projects such as quality assurance or the overshooting of estimated project cost budget. It is against this background that this study was designed. The study sought to assess the influence of stakeholder engagement, resource mobilization and leadership style on the sustainability of the Anglican Church-funded projects in Kenya. The study was anchored on stakeholder engagement theory. The study adopted a positivism philosophy and a cross-sectional survey design. The unit of analysis was the Anglican Church while the universe of the study was Mombasa Region in Kenya. Stratified random sampling was used to select 397 church members while purposive sampling was used to select 11 church committee members and 22 parochial church councils. The primary data was obtained using structured questionnaires. The study achieved a response rate of 95.81%. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that stakeholder engagement positively and significantly influenced sustainability of church funded projects. The study also established that resource mobilization had a significant enhanced moderating effect on the relationship between stakeholder engagement and the sustainability of the Anglican Church-funded projects in Kenya. The regression coefficients for democratic leadership and transformational leadership style were positive, implying that they had an increasing impact on sustainability of projects. The combined variables indicated that stakeholder engagement, resource mobilization and leadership style had a positive and significant effect on sustainability of projects. This implies that there exists a positive significant relationship between stakeholder engagement and sustainability of projects. The study therefore concluded that the completion of projects was above average at 87% in the years 2016, 84% in 2017 and the rate for the year of 2018 was 86% respectively. This success rate led to a higher level of satisfaction by the beneficiaries of the church projects. However, a budget variation was noted in small projects which had a budget variation of less Ksh 500,000 while major projects had variations of between Ksh 500,000 and 1,000,000 for the three years under study. As part of the recommendation, adoption and application of democratic and transformational leadership practices was advised. The leadership of the church should motivate members to unremittingly participate in project implementation cycle and provide regular and progressive feedback to members and other stakeholders. This is useful in orienting development projects towards objective realization, helping church members get on track and stay focused, enhancing familiarization and in enhancing overall project sustainability. The study will inform policy to church policy makers, Church authorities and stakeholders.

Forms of Communication used by the Cell Church post - Covid-19

In the past, the church was a place of comfort and healing. However, COVID-19 brought about a profound change that saw life as we knew it come to an abrupt halt. Services that were not considered essential, including that of the church, were forced to close their doors. Religious bodies and critical leaders of society did not recognise churches as an integral, life-giving part of the community and world at large. Secular organisations offering essential services could be operated under strict conditions. However, the church remained closed. Despite lockdown restrictions being eased, churches still ensued an uphill battle to open their doors. Strict limits were imposed when the church was eventually allowed to resume fellowship. This was imposed by the government to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Pastors had to look to other mediums to propagate the gospel to ensure the church’s survival. Social media have become the most common medium used by the church during COVID-19 to propagate the gospel. This paper aims to describe the forms of communication used by the cell church post-COVID-19 to ensure its survival. The early church gathered in homes as there were no designated buildings where they could worship. COVID-19 forced Christians to have fellowship in their homes and connect with their pastors via social media. The cell church is built around the Jethro Model. It was a form of leadership suggested to Moses by his father-in-law when he noticed how he handled the issues of the Hebrew people. The cell group provides spiritual nourishment for each other and encourages fellowship between family and friends. With cell groups being closed as a result of the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, this has hindered the spiritual growth of believers. This paper proposes that cell churches use all forms of communication until cell groups become functional again. Secondary sources are used as part of the research methodology for this study.

KAJIAN KRITIS TERHADAP PEMIKIRAN TENTANG JIWA (AL-NAFS) DALAM FILSAFAT ISLAM

The main problem in this paper is trying to examine or elaborate in depth about the nature and thoughts of Islamic philosophers on the soul (nafs). To answer this problem, the author tries to trace or trace some of the opinions of experts regarding the soul (nafs) in various books or related writings in order to obtain a more in-depth and accurate understanding. The results of the study of this paper show that the essence of the soul (nafs) comes from the substance of God which has its own form and is different from the body (jism). But cannot be separated. He is like the sun with its light. The soul created by God is different from the body and both have their own form. However, between body and soul both must be considered because they both need food. The soul needs spiritual nourishment, thinking, learning, and so on. While the body (jism) requires food, drink, exercise, sex, rest and so on. The soul (nafs) is something that is very essential and has an effect on humans. Therefore, the soul (nafs) must be trained in such a way so that it can become good, healthy, live and even become holy.

Study of the Basic Experience of the Chinese Communist Party's Independence over the Past Hundred Years

Independence is the valuable experience of the Chinese Communist Party in making revolution, construction, reform and rejuvenation from the reality of China and relying on the people. Over the past hundred years, the Party has drawn spiritual nourishment from Marxism and traditional Chinese culture, and accumulated the basic experience of independence in theory and practice. Independence has solved the major proposition of the Chineseization of Marxism, solved the major issue of how to win the New Democratic Revolution in semi-colonial and semi-feudal China, and led the Chinese people to successfully embark on the road to socialism and take a road to socialism with Chinese characteristics. The idea of independence is an important guarantee for the promotion of theoretical and practical innovation, and its in-depth study is of positive significance for the continuous enrichment and improvement of the development of the theoretical system and road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

THE DIDACTIC ESSENCE OF TURKIC PEOPLES’ POETRY

The article considers didactic motives in the works of the great thinkers of Turkic folk literature N.Ganzhaui, A. Navoi, A. Kunanbayuly. The problems of teaching poets, comprehensive education and development of intelligence, instilling moral qualities are compared and analyzed. There are edifying Gazelles, philosophical thoughts aimed at educating the younger generation with such moral qualities as diligence, humanism, patriotism, kindness, truthfulness, justice, honesty. Attention is drawn to the fact that in works representing scientific, philosophical, moral, religious ideas related to the didactic genre, and sermons, edification, a bundle, opinion, conclusion, commandment, sermon, propaganda, and not an artistic image and image prevail. Azirbayzhan, Uzbek People's statesman, the outstanding thinker N.Ganzhaui and A. Nauai are the pinnacle of Kazakh poetry, they say that the brilliant poet Abai Kunanbayev recognized himself as a teacher and received spiritual nourishment from their pearls.In Kazakh literature, it is proved by examples that "Karasozderi" and Abai's poems are traditional continuations of oriental didactic works.