THE DIGNITY OF MAN

“What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?” (Ps 8:4).

It is not easy for us human beings to see ourselves and others through the eyes of our loving Father, even if we try. Indeed, if we are not blind to our faults and shortcomings, if we recognise the moral wretchedness that often surrounds us, we may wonder how it is possible that God loves us so much and never gives up trying to conquer us.

If we pay attention to the following verse of the Psalm, it will help us to find an answer:

“Thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor” (Ps 8:5).

Yes, our Father has raised us to such a high dignity that we can even resemble Him. And our Father, in His love, does everything to make us correspond to this dignity He has given us.

That is why it is important for His Church to insist on the dignity of man, given to him by virtue of his creation in the image and likeness of God. But it is even more important for the Church to fulfil the missionary mandate given to her by the Lord, by teaching people to live in the true faith, to receive the sacraments worthily and to cooperate with God’s grace. In this way, man fulfils his vocation to live here on earth as a child of God and to come to full union with our Father in eternal life.

The Father has had mercy on us out of pure love and always remembers us, even if we forget Him.