Human Dignity

quote from The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis...

"It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. ...It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of the kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously--no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinners--no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat, the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden."

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i was talking with some students both yesterday today and in different ways the value God places on humans and human life came up. on one instance, we talked about how often we are quick to snub the poor who live in the streets and who we often see drunk or high while they ask for money for "food." and yet at the same time they have a life of great value, for they are made in the image of God. and likewise with other groups or classes of people we put ourselves "above."

this quote by c.s. lewis has been going through my head again and again. how blessed we are that the Lord cares for us tanto (so much). it is absolutely amazing - his grace, his love...

and as such, his love and grace (obviously along with the Holy Spirit's working and power within us) should compel us to live differently. by the power of the Holy Spirit there should be fruit produced in our lives of love, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. we should not live as we always have. we should not live as selfish, self-absorbed, materialistic, holier-than-thou, nor so separate that we rarely touch actual, everyday life.