Why do I need human formation?
God works through human persons.
The lay apostolate is exercised through ordinary life: our relationships, work, decisions, responsibilities and interactions with others. Weaknesses in character, judgement, self-mastery, responsibility, interpersonal relationships and emotional maturity therefore affect our ability to serve God and others well.
The following truth may sound harsh, but here it is: broken people build a broken world. This is different from perfection. No one is perfect except God. Yet, with the help of the Holy Spirit, imperfect people can help build a better world.
Brokenness means that a person is not functioning as well as they are meant to function. That is why human formation is becoming increasingly necessary for all Christians.
Human formation is one of the four pillars of priestly formation in the Catholic Church. Although the terminology and structure may differ, Anglican, Orthodox, and some Protestant churches also include comparable forms of personal, character, spiritual, and pastoral formation for those preparing for ordained or other forms of ministry.
The purpose of this formation is to help those preparing for ministry develop a well-rounded personality characterised by affective maturity, self-knowledge, self-mastery, moral integrity, sound judgement, and the capacity to form healthy and authentic human relationships.
In the Catholic Church, one reason given for this formation is that, on becoming priests, these men may serve as a “bridge” rather than an “obstacle” to others in their journey towards God (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 43).
We believe that this kind of formation is also necessary for Christians who are called to serve God in the world through the ordinary realities of life. Under the Holy Spirit, human formation involves the gradual development of the qualities and practical capacities needed to live, relate, make decisions, and assume responsibility as a disciple of Christ.
Life skills contribute to this formation by strengthening areas such as self-awareness, healthy self-esteem, emotional regulation, stress management, communication, interpersonal relationships, and resilience.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines life skills as “abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.”
UNICEF defines life skills as “a group of psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathise with others, and cope with managing their lives in a healthy and productive manner.”
By taking intentional steps to develop basic life skills, a person grows in personal maturity — the development of clarity, judgement, stability and responsibility — and in relational maturity — the development of how she lives relationships.
Maturity is the gradual harmonising and ordering of the whole person — intellect, will, emotions, body and interior life — so that one’s thoughts, desires, choices and actions increasingly move together towards truth, reality, responsibility and the good. It is not the attainment of age, independence, status, achievement or success, but the ongoing shaping of one’s life towards what is true, good and life-giving.
The level of maturity influences how individuals understand themselves, make ethical decisions and interact with others.
Human formation helps us grow in maturity so that we can become the kind of people through whom God can work more effectively.
Jesus teaches that “every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruits. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit." — Matthew 7:17-18
Human formation helps us become more capable of bearing good fruit in the world.
The lay apostolate is not only about what we do. It is also about who we are becoming. For this reason, we need human formation.
“Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. the virtuous man is he who freely practices the good. The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love.”
