Spiritual formation for people living with HIV and AIDS : a continuing imperative of pastoral care

Abstract

This article discusses the significance of spiritual formation to the task of pastoral care of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). The research identifies a critical and growing gap in the spiritual formation of people living HIV and AIDS as a pastoral care motif. The writer reviews current literature, exegetes Matthew 5:21–48 as a theological basis for an evangelical definition of spiritual formation, and posits its role in the pastoral care of PLWHA. The indispensability of psychosocial support to the care of PLWHA is admitted in many contemporary studies, but the necessity and precise role of spiritual formation appears to be in doubt. This article, therefore, attempts to respond to such critical questions as: What are the goals of Spiritual Formation in the care of people living with HIV and AIDS? Is Spiritual formation important in the care of PLWHA? The writer posits that there exists a continuing and critical gap for spiritual formation in the care continuum of PLWHA which can only be aptly met through compassionate pastoral engagement.