5th Sunday in Lent Sermon – Cycle B Homily – When I am lifted up

We want to see Jesus lifted high
5th Sunday in Lent – Year B (Jn 12:20-33)
 When I read the gospel text of the 5th Sunday in Lent (year B), I was reminded of a popular song, written by the Children’s song-writer Doug Horley, that goes:
We want to see Jesus lifted high,
A banner that flies across the land,
That all men might see the truth and know,
He is the way to heaven.
Despite the fact that the song is theologically simplistic – remember it is a children’s song – I thought the first line captures quite well the theme of the gospel of today: “We want to see Jesus lifted high”.  I would like to use this line in two parts to offer the reflection for today. In the third part of the reflection, I will propose another method of praying, thus completing […]

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Well-being and religious commitment amongst South African and Kenyan students.

Fadiji, A.W., Khumalo, I., & Selvam, S.G. (2023). The well-being correlates of religious commitment amongst South African and Kenyan students. South African Journal of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/00812463231199960
Religious commitment is a prominent feature in the lives of many students in Africa. The present study investigated the well-being correlates (emotional well-being, social contribution, and depression) of religious commitment, and compared them across sex. A cross-sectional sample of 471 students from South Africa and Kenya (men = 244; women = 227; with an average age of 22.8 years) completed the Religious Commitment Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire, Social Well-being Scale, and Mental Health Continuum Short-Form. Structural equation modelling in Mplus was used to estimate direct effects of religious commitment on emotional well-being, social contribution and depression, and comparison across sex. The results showed significant direct effects, attesting to the association […]

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IPPA Spirituality and Meaning Practitioner Award 2023 to Rev Dr Sahaya G. Selvam

International Association of Positive Psychology (IPPA) Spirituality and Meaning Practitioner Award 2023
Rev. Dr Sahaya G. Selvam’s Contributions to Spirituality, Meaning and Wellbeing in Africa
Religion, spirituality, meaning, and wellbeing define Rev. Dr Sahaya Selvam’s work/ministry as a Catholic priest and as a psychologist, originally from India, now serving in religious and academic contexts in East Africa, particularly among the youth.
To him, besides the categories of religion and spirituality, there is also a possibility for religious-spirituality (Selvam, 2013). Positive psychology provides a theoretical and methodological framework for his academic research and to develop and delivery interventions in the context of religious-spirituality. Character strengths (CS), including purpose and meaning, act as mediators in the relationship between a spirituality and wellbeing. In his PhD work, he explored CS as mediators in the relationship between […]

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