The Covid-19 pandemic is proving to be long and multifaceted: it has affected us globally and has put us to the test on a personal and family level. For the vast majority of people, the pandemic is posing a threat in many areas of life, such as health, economy, lifestyle (personal, family and social), etc. And it is resulting in increased stress and worry, with significant health implications.
We are facing a full-blown crisis, which globally threatens the immediate future of our society, and which we must confront with all available resources. It should come as no surprise that the most useful and effective resources in circumstances such as these are not precisely material ones. In the context of a crisis, the concept of "crisis management" is often used. resiliencedefined by experts as the ability to adapt positively to a context of adversity, emerging stronger from it.
But how can we develop this attitude in order to come out of this crisis better than we entered it? Recent studies have shown that religiosity plays a very positive role in the development and maintenance of resilient behaviors, which also favors people's quality of life. We know that spirituality is a human need, but perhaps we are not aware that in adverse situations it becomes a resource that favors emotional well-being and helps us to draw strength from direct contact with suffering. Religious beliefs provide support and stability, as well as an ultimate meaning that brings coherence and security to people's lives. The Institute of Higher Studies of the Family of UIC Barcelona has verified, in a research carried out at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, that also in this context of health crisis in Spain this positive relationship between religiosity and resilience of people is produced. The study also shows that some antecedents that favor this positive reaction to the crisis are good family relationships.
In the face of the postmodern cultural panorama, characterized by a high level of technological development and by a growing existential emptiness and individualism that leads to isolation, it is once again confirmed that spirituality is the greatest rebelliousness of the human being, as St. Josemaría Escrivá affirmed. It helps us to overcome the limitations, failures and crises inherent in our existence and restores to us the authentic meaning of personal and family life.
Professor at the Faculty of Law of the International University of Catalonia and director of the Institute for Advanced Family Studies. She directs the Chair on Intergenerational Solidarity in the Family (IsFamily Santander Chair) and the Childcare and Family Policies Chair of the Joaquim Molins Figueras Foundation. She is also Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law at UIC Barcelona.
