Living in God’s Image

When I was a teenager after I got ready to go out, I would ask my parents how I looked. They always said, “Great”. Why wouldn’t they? I was made in the image of God according to them. However, this truth is not so readily believed by most Catholics. We live in a therapeutic age. So many people seem to need some sort of counselling for a negative self-image and during this pandemic, this has only been exacerbated.

Mother Theresa said of her work with the destitute “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.” How do we look at someone as Christ?

Experience

For me, it is the starting point is to ask, ” Where do I begin?”

Last year my uncle died in another city and I needed to drive my parents to the funeral. I was honoured they trusted me out of everyone else to take them because winter driving here is not easy. Although I was not so close to my uncle,  I wanted to go.

The surprise there was seeing the priest presiding at the funeral home and church. He was blind to my amazement. He knew my name immediately without asking, he heard my confession and he was comforting at a very strange time. How was he able to look at me as a child of God – the image of Him without seeing me. I recounted this experience to my friends, and I was even amazed as to what came out of my mouth. His starting point was Christ – no one else could help him live his vocation with such intensity.

Upon my return home with my family, my mom made a point to come with me to feed the homeless the next day. I asked her if she felt up to it – she looked at me and smiled because she knew even the less fortunate were the image of God.

Mixed Messages

We get so many messages – mixed messages – how we are supposed to live, act, feel and love. The world is not conducive to Christ – it is against him. Juxtaposed if you will. St. Jean Vianney said that you cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, desires, and actions.

So, amid this turmoil how can we live and see in the image of God? I can only answer from my experience. I think many of the saints had their doubts at times. For me, it is not so easy. I need to look at myself through God’s eyes but that cannot be so abstract. People enter our lives and give witness but are we paying attention?

We must go back to the starting point and ask who is helping us on the road to Christ. The road to Him is arduous at times but the road is completely worthwhile. I stay with the people given to me and they are never of my choosing. It is Christ who sends us people to help us. They come from all directions and surprise us every time. They stay for a long time or for a brief period. They say things that move us or simply their gaze shakes us.

Often, I think of Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, and Peter. They were such interesting people to look at in scripture. The way Christ would look at them in scripture readings is the way I want to be looked at. The Carmelite nuns in the cloister have told me often that we cannot fathom God’s love for us. It is too much for us to bear.

This infinite love, this agape is something we want and as we move closer to it, it just seems to move further away. Pope Benedict XVI said, “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.” Christ wants us to grow in his love, his plan and it is a great challenge, but it is a beautiful road full of bumps, twists, and curves.

Challenges

Recently, I read an article about Iceland basically eliminating Downs’ Syndrome.  It is quite sad that we reduce people born with disabilities, the mentally ill, or anyone who does not meet our standards.

I think we need to pray and work for what is right and true despite the hardships. This is not a small task. We are reminded of this by St Catherine of Siena, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” Bringing people to Christ can only begin with us, inside ourselves. If we are pointing at the road but do not follow it ourselves then we have nothing to offer.

These great saints did not live blameless lives, but they lived in God’s image with all their faults and limitations. In my work, I meet so many people from many countries. Such interesting people who bring me a new perspective and always broaden my mind. I learn so much from them. I try to look at each person I meet as someone God sent to me.

As we continue to live our lives, whatever form or place that is, understanding and living in the love of Christ is so amazing but so much a challenge. All the things of this world are gifts of God… to come to know him better. St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Are we really looking at that starting point? I wonder about this often when I hear people searching for direction. We really are made in the image of God. It is not about looks, status, or intelligence – it is about Christ.