Autumn 2 - Dignity of the Human Person

Dignity of the human person.

So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-31

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

Deuteronomy 10:17-18 

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Luke 10:25-37

(The good Samaritan recognised the dignity in the other and cared for his life.)

Jesus and the Samaritan woman

John 4:1-42

(Jesus broke with societal and religious customs to honour the dignity of the Samaritan woman.)

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

James 2:1-8

Every human being has the right to live with dignity and to develop integrally; this fundamental right cannot be denied by any country. People have this right even if they are unproductive, or were born with or developed limitations. This does not detract from their great dignity as human persons, a dignity based not on circumstances but on the intrinsic worth of their being. Unless this basic principle is upheld, there will be no future either for fraternity or for the survival of humanity.

Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, no. 107

Dignity of the Human Person

We believe that every person is made in God’s image. We believe that every person has inherent dignity and every life is sacred. The innate dignity of each person is the foundation and inspiration of our vision for a just and compassionate world. We see the image of God in every person, no matter their circumstance. The women, men and children most vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice should not be hindered from living a life equal to their dignity.

Focused prayer

Dear Loving Father,

We give you unending thanks and praise for the immense dignity you have given us in creating us in your image and likeness, out of pure and perfect love.

May we always respond to you by recognising and respecting this dignity in the way we treat ourselves and other people.

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us so that we may seek new and creative ways to uphold this dignity.

We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Our chosen saint - Saint Josephine Bakhita 

The year was 1876.  At the age of seven, Josephine Bakhita was sold into slavery.

Can you imagine how scared she must have felt? This horrible experience made her completely forget her name. Her kidnappers, therefore, named her Bakhita, which means “fortunate one.”

Bakhita was sold several different times and often felt the pain of a whip against her body when given an order to do something. Eventually, she was sold to an Italian family living in Sudan. Here is where she first experienced kindness since the time she was kidnapped. When this Italian family decided to move back to Italy, Bakhita was heartbroken. “Please don’t sell me! Let me come with you!” she begged. They agreed. But after arriving in Italy they sold her to another family, the Michielis. Fortunately, this family treated her kindly too.

When the Michielis had a baby named Mimmina, Bakhita became her babysitter and later, friend. These two were inseparable. A few years later, Mr. and Mrs. Michielis had to travel to Africa for business. They sent their daughter Mimmina to a convent for school and Bakhita accompanied the girl. While at this convent, Bakhita first learned about God and the Catholic faith. After several months she received the sacraments and was given a new name, Josephine. 

Believing that they still “owned” Bakhita, the Michielis demanded that she leave with them when they returned for Mimmina.

“We are moving to Africa to live,” they explained. “You are our slave and must come with us.”

Josephine Bakhita refused to leave and went to court. The Italian court ruled that since Josephine was in Italy and slavery was illegal in Italy, she was free!  

Josephine Bakhita entered the convent in 1893 and took her vows on December 8, 1896. She lived a very humble and simple life in the convent doing various jobs such as cooking, sewing, embroidering, and attending to the door of the convent. When she attended the door, people loved talking with her and listening to her friendly, sweet, and comforting voice. As children passed by she would lay her hands on their heads, giving words of encouragement.

She often said, “Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who not know him. What a great grace it is to know God.”

Feast Day:  February 8

A sculpture of Saint Josephine Bakhita is on display in Saint Peter's Square in Rome.  It is called Let The Oppressed Go Free.

What does the dignity of the human person means in Saint James'?