Social “Agere Contra” for Lay Catholic Healthcare Workers’ Social Spirituality
摘要
This chapter attempts to explore how the social dimension of Ignatian discernment of spirits and “Agere Contra” (AC), that is, going against natural inclination, can be a key spiritual tool for lay Catholic health workers’ social spirituality to convert a commodified healthcare system according to the social doctrines of the Catholic Church. Specifically, it aims to extend St. Ignatius of Loyola’s discernment of spirits in the emotional process of AC to the social realm. It argues that AC has social dimension that is intrinsically linked to personal discernment. When given a sociological and holistic interpretation in accordance with Pope Francis’s inductive synodal theology, a social AC can be a vital resistant method of lay Catholic social spirituality for healthcare workers to distinguish “angels” from “demons” in a commodified healthcare social structure to defend the rights of the poor.