The five universal areas of human experience are integral to healthy experience: physical, psychological, sexual, pastoral, and spiritual. As universal experiences, each human being experiences them in ways particular to him/herself. Thus, universalness is alive in the particular. This is enlightened in the Canon Law 1983, no. 619: “… the superiors/formators are frequently to nourish their members with the food of God’s word and lead them to the celebration of the liturgy. They are to be an example to the members in cultivating virtue … they are to give the members opportune assistance in their personal needs. They are to be solicitous in caring for and visiting the sick; they are to chide the restless, console the fainthearted, and be patient with all.”
On Friday, 13th October, 2023, all 38 participants of both program for Spiritual Accompaniment and Ongoing Formation for Formators had the opportunity to experience directly seeing, listening, touching, smelling, and tasting nutritional food that provides nourishment essential for growth to the fullness of life in the vocational formation.
Involving physical care in a religious vocation, CIS invited both experts in nutrition. They are Dr. Huy Khuyen, nutritionist and psychotherapist, and Dr. Mai Hang, nutritionist. Both of them spent the whole day sharing the indispensable connection between the physical and the spiritual life, between individual life and the natural universe, and between human body and the earthly mother. They listened to the professional personal experiences of Dr. Huy Khuyen and the way Dr. Mai Hang prepared nutritional materials and cooking. All of the participants had lunch together at CIS’s hall. They enjoyed healthy and nutritional food that was cooked by Dr. Mai Hang.
Dr. Huy Khuyen was sharing knowledge the indispensable connection between the physical and the spiritual life.
Dr. Mai Hang introduced and cooked nutritional food.
Finally, both nutrition experts encouraged all participants of CIS’s programs to be aware of the essential structure of a tripod: the reasonable regime of nutrition, comfortable inner life, and daily physical exercises. Regarding eating, formators should be attentive to what, when, and how. All must try to live a happy and healthy life in the integrity of all dimensions of life.