We look in the mirror to see the reflection of ourselves. When God wants to see His image, He does not look in the mirror, He looks at you and me. When we understand the mystery of being created in the image and likeness of God, we will begin to treat people with dignity. We will let go of all our prejudices and look at every person as the image and likeness of God, irrespective of their color, race, religious beliefs, status, and education. God identifies Himself with the least and the marginalized, those who are weak, poor, sick, imprisoned, and those who do not fit in. On judgment day, God will judge us according to how we have treated other people. Were our actions just and merciful?

“I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’  And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Mt 25: 35-40, NRSV).

God’s greatest commandments are: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Mt 22: 37-40). To be Christlike is to love others as ourselves, to safeguard human life and dignity, to defend the unborn and the dying from abortion and euthanasia.

The dignity of the human person comes from the fact that we are the image and likeness of God. Human life is sacred because it represents God. So, God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Gen 1:27). What makes a human person different from animals, plants or any other living organism? We are unique because God has put his own Spirit within us.  But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment (2 Cor 1:21-22).

The Covid pandemic has shown us the consequences that mankind has suffered due to lack of human dignity and value. Some countries place great value on human life and immediately go into lock-down and close their borders so that the lives of their citizens are saved and protected. However, there are countries where they do not want their economy to suffer, and therefore, they do not care about taking any measures to enforce lock-downs. They have stepped on piles of dead bodies to ensure economic continuity. Have they really made any economic progress by disregarding the human person? No, they are in a situation where they are busy calculating the daily death toll instead of any economic progress. The purpose of economic progress is for the welfare of the people. When there is mass human suffering, the economy suffers as well. In life, affluence comes only when we value what God values. God values the human person and when we also value the human person, we are blessed.

To progress in life, the welfare of the people must be the center of our thinking. With that I also mean their salvation because God has the welfare of His people at the center of His thinking. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16). I am not saying that a human person is God, or we need to worship people like we worship God. What I am saying is that we must treat others with dignity, and consider human life as sacred, a tabernacle in which God’s Spirit dwells.

As individuals, is everyone doing their best to safeguard human life in this pandemic? Most people do not wear their mask, do not sanitize, or wash their hands, avoid social distancing, and isolation. All people care about is their freedom, even if their choices jeopardize the lives of others. How do we draw the line between ethical and unethical behavior? It is simple. Whenever our actions do not care about human dignity, our behavior is termed as unethical, and whenever we safeguard human life and dignity, we are behaving ethically. Every time we disobey God’s word and commandments, we sin and behave unethically, and every time we obey God’s word, we are called righteous, and our behavior is ethical.

In our world of consumerism, we value things and not people. Things are not eternal, but every human person is eternal. Life does not end at death but continues for eternity. Our sin against every human person is our sin against God, and God takes it personally. If God sees His image and likeness in every human person, let us consciously seek the image and likeness of God in every human person too.

Help us dear Jesus, to see your image in every person, especially those who are least amongst us; in the sick, vulnerable, poor, marginalized, refugee, unborn, dying, and the grieving people of the world. Help us Jesus, not to overlook them, but joyfully serve them as if we were serving you. Amen.

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