Interior Integration for Catholics 163 You Are One and Many: Unity, Multiplicity, and Internal Systems
Apr 7, 2025
In this discussion with Dr. Gerry Crete, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Transfiguration Counseling, listeners explore the complex nature of identity as a cohesive system. They delve into how understanding our interconnectedness can enhance our relationships with God, ourselves, and others. The conversation critiques modern individualism and reclaims the importance of belonging within communities, emphasizing communal spirituality through practices like baptism and Eucharist. Insights into internal systems and their impact on external relationships are also highlighted.
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Systems Thinking Reveals Interconnections
- Systems thinking shifts focus from individuals to dynamics among parts or people.
- This approach reveals how changing one part affects the entire system's function.
Relational Identity Over Individualism
- Modern individualism is foreign to Catholic tradition, which emphasizes relational identity.
- Our identity is embedded in family, community, church, and cosmos, not isolated selfhood.
Each Person Is a Whole World
- Each human being is an irreducible, unique world, more than the sum of parts.
- Losing a person means losing an irreplaceable universe of experiences and possibilities.
