The Catholic Answer to the Longing for ‘Wellness’, by Rebecca Wilson

By Rebecca Wilson, EWTN News, March 10, 2024

Rebecca Wilson is the assistant Director of Wellness, Healing, and Evangelization for CMF CURO. She holds a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Theology from the International Theological Institute in Austria, with an undergraduate degree in Theology from Benedictine College in Kansas.  ….

The human person is created for eternal communion with God. It is with this fact that any discussion of ‘wellness’ finds its richest understanding.

The concept of “wellness” is ever growing in popularity, with many podcasts, workouts, diets and more trying to address the issue. In the U.S. alone, the wellness industry is valued at close to $1.2 trillion. This raises the question: Why? There must be something about “wellness” that is so attractive, that speaks to a deep human desire. More importantly, if we are created in the image and likeness of God, with a beautiful integration of body and soul, how do we as Catholics respond to the concept of “wellness?” In this year of the National Eucharistic Revival, how can the Eucharist serve as a model for our understanding of wellness and integration?

To begin, let’s look at why man was created. The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives us a start, saying, “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life” (CCC 1). Man was created to participate in the blessed life with God, and the Lord continues to desire this for us.  ….