Created in the image and likeness of God (Tuesday, Week 5, Year 1)

-

INTRODUCTION 

In the first reading, we get to the highpoint of God’s creative work: the creation of humankind in His own image and likeness: in the image of love, image of kindness, image of goodness. But it appears we have failed to reflect what we are (image of God) and have chosen to reflect what we are not (puppets or slaves to traditions and inhuman laws). 


REFLECTION 

Going through Gen. 1:20-2:4a, some questions readily come to mind: Why did God crown the human person and elevated him above all the creatures? Why did God not think of making some other creature in His own image and likeness? Why did He not command and empower another creature to have dominion over the entire creation? By and large, these questions reflect THE GOODNESS OF GOD SO MYSTERIOUS, SO INCOMPREHENSIBLE. No amount of thinking can completely untangle such puzzle! What has become clear, so to say, is that the beauty of the entire creation reached its apex at the creation of the human person. And that is why, after creating the human person, the Bible records that: “God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was VERY GOOD” (Gen 1:31).


Before God created the human person, He said: “LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR OWN IMAGE, AFTER OUR LIKENESS…” (Gen 1:26). Have you ever given a second thought to that expression? Obviously, the expression opens up a world of endless reflection and appreciation of divine initiative and love towards us. In that creation statement lies a clear portrayal of our definition, our essence and our potentialities! Therein lies a moving description of the enormous power and possibilities given to us.


Often, we fail to concentrate on and appropriate our God-given powers but prefer to give more attention to banalities and things that can reduce us to puppets! If the Pharisees had discovered the power that they possessed as humans, they would have channeled their thinking and efforts towards things that are more honorable, edifying and salutary instead of being preoccupied with fastidious attachment to mere tradition, rules and laws which they created. And that is why Christ rebuked them saying, “you have made void the word of God through your tradition which you hand on” (cf. Mark 7:1-13).


We're created in the image and likeness of God: created to LOVE, to be KIND, to embody GOODNESS and exude POWER. We were commanded and empowered to be FRUITFUL, to MULTIPLY and have DOMINION over the entire creation. We have left this very essential aspect of our nature, and have chosen to pursue shadows, reducing ourselves to slaves of traditions, laws and structures that make it difficult for God’s LOVE, GOODNESS and POWER to shine in and through us. We still have the POWER to change this sad narrative! We have an enormous power to bring about lasting positive revolutions in this world. Let's harness this POWER and begin to be more like God!        


Prayer:

May I never lose sight of my origin and the potentialities which I have, Amen!


Have a FRUITFUL day!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gifts versus the Giver (Monday, Week 20, Year II)

-
Image
A gift, by the virtue of what it is, is given. In other words, there must be a giver. Gift can come or be in the form of a good friendship or relationship, material thing, good job, personal talent, and so on. Every cherished gift is the delight of our eyes, the pride of our power and the desire of our souls. The gifts that we possess should then remind us of the giver. It smacks of arrogance and ingratitude when gifts are used without acknowledging or making reference to the giver. For the Jews, the Temple or Sanctuary was the delight of their eyes, the pride of their power and the desire of their souls. It was a precious gift which they jealously guarded. However, they adorned the Sanctuary but did not truly adore the One for whom the Sanctuary exists. They were too attached to the “gift” (sanctuary) but were completely detached from the Giver of the gift – from Yahweh. Ezekiel prophesied to them that this sanctuary which was their delight will be profaned and taken away from them. M
Read more

Persecution and Triumph, the Two Realities of Christian life (Saturday, Week 33, Year 2, The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

-
Image
The book of Revelation is full of symbols and imageries that need to be carefully interpreted for us to understand the message they communicate. In today’s first reading (cf. Rev. 11:4-12), John was told about two olive trees and two lamp stands serving as witnesses to the Holy One. Who or what do these two sets of witnesses (olive trees and lamp stand) stand for? When we read further in order to understand what happened to these two witnesses, it may be a bit clear to us that the “two witnesses” may be pointing to Moses and Elijah, judging from what they did on earth and what they stand for. Moses stands for the Law; and Elijah stands for the Prophet. Anyone who bears witness as Moses bore witness to the Law of God must be persecuted by the beast as the first reading (from the Book of Revelation) recounted. Anyone who bears witness to the messages of truth as Elijah and other prophets did must be persecuted just as the prophets were persecuted. Persecution is a fate that awaits every
Read more

Enkindle the Embers of Unity, Quench the Fire of Disunity (Wednesday, Week 22, Year A)

-
Image
For some time now, we have heard Paul talk about the spiritual and the unspiritual: what it means to live and operate on the level of the Spirit (the spiritual) and on the level of the flesh (the unspiritual). Paul was very emphatic about this topic possibly because he was addressing a group of people who were too intellectual and academic in their approach to the things of God and all of that. Remember that the Corinthians were Greek; and the ancient Greeks were known to be too particular and more interested in intellectualism, sophistry, philosophy and human wisdom. And we must not forget that Paul has been very suspicious of over-reliance on worldly/human wisdom in understanding and appreciating the things of the Spirit. To rely more on human/worldly wisdom is a sign that one may be operating on the level of the flesh; and to operate on the level of the flesh breeds a whole lot of vices such as division or sectionalism, hedonism, and so on. In today’s section of that letter to the C
Read more