- Fr Manesh Jerald SJ
Sameeksha, Kalady
A life grounded in dignity, as the seat of the well-being of humanity, is the foundational need of our time, especially when violence is often seen as a solution for peace in the world. The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, the recently resolved war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, and the tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan are all waged in the name of national stability and domination over the other. Yet do such wars truly resolve the tension between nations?
Beware of the Ego
The stability of a nation built upon the reactions of the human ego can never bring peace among nations, because the ego can never be crushed. It will always rise again as vengeance. And vengeance knows no limit. No one can ever embrace peace and security through vengeance or violence born of ego. The ego is a state of restlessness within the unsettled mind. Therefore, we need to look for a lasting solution to war in our own human nature. The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, elucidates that human nature contains within itself a divine seed, a Godlike seed sown within (GS 3).
The Intrinsic Worth of Human Life
If any nation longs for peace and prosperity in life and relationships, it must be aware of the dignity of life and sense it from within. From that inner awareness, the path of peace will emerge, for deep within every human being lies the potential seed of God, guided by the presence of Spirit within, and endowed with the capacity to perceive the fraternity of all humanity. Thus, the Creation has a unique intrinsic worth and dignity. It is holy.
Know the Redemptive Dimension of the Suffering of Humanity
A human being is not a mere creature or senseless being. Suffering reveals to humanity its vulnerability and enables one to be intuitively aware of the significance of solidarity and fraternity with all. Thus, Suffering, in a profound sense, discloses our potential Godlike nature, which is simultaneously open to God and humanity. Suffering is neither glorified nor promoted here; rather, when understood rightly, it becomes transformative, enabling humanity to live in sacred communion.
The oppressed always represent simple humanity beyond any cast, creed, religion, and even nation. The God of Israel, who said “I am who I am,” did not save the Israelites merely because they were descendants of Jacob, but because they were human beings created in the image and likeness of God, an image in which all human beings, in every nation, are created. This reminds us not only of the dignity of Jews but also of the entire humanity which bears the permanent imprint of God’s glory, irrespective of any national, religious, or political identity.
The one who suffers knows deeply the preciousness and holy sweetness of life and its delicate balance with everyone around. The one who cries for help also perceives the hidden potential for magnanimity even within the oppressor through the shared depth of human nature. Our human nature has within it the divine potential for mercy, even though the oppressor may not yet have experienced this magnanimity due to the ego, pleasure-seeking selfishness, narrow nationalism, exclusive racism, and fear of the other.
As human beings, we need to tap this divine potential within us for the well-being of ourselves and others, to live a peaceful and joyful life in harmony. This divine potential in humanity is the weakness of God for God’s mighty compassion to human beings for their redemptive well-being on earth.
God of the Oppressed
Salvation history reveals to us God’s transforming act, redeeming the suffering Israel from the chains of oppression. We need to meditate on this mighty deed of God, whose sovereign authority is exercised for the release and well-being of the captives, rather than for the imposition of divine domination.
The oppressed always represent simple humanity beyond any cast, creed, religion, and even nation. The God of Israel, who said “I am who I am,” did not save the Israelites merely because they were descendants of Jacob, but because they were human beings created in the image and likeness of God, an image in which all human beings, in every nation, are created. This reminds us not only of the dignity of Jews but also of the entire humanity which bears the permanent imprint of God’s glory, irrespective of any national, religious, or political identity.
Suffering humanity is aware of the value of merciful co-existence, and the God of Israel, through the divine saving act, reveals that life is a dynamic and merciful co-existence where caring is the only characteristic of life. Should not those who wield power learn from God this merciful justice, and from the reflective gaze of suffering humanity discern our image as Godlike seed, endowed with the potential for compassion?
Our life as the Source of Compassion
True freedom for compassion arises from one’s deep experience of the value of one’s own life, especially in the context of suffering, and from the awareness of how one consciously perceives the value of others. This experience inspires us to live in communion, avoiding all the evil things that conceal and violate the value of life. Such communion emerges from a profound awareness of our own worth, seen through the inner eye of self-understanding, which offers the true insight into our own being. This experiential understanding always inspires us to love others as we love ourselves (Mat 22:39).
Communion as our Common Character
We experience the communion of all humanity in the very nature of our created existence, made in the image and likeness of the one God. Thus, it is affirmed that we share a common origin, regardless of our historical and cultural identification with different nations or religions. The dignity of life that comes from God is supreme over all else and must be respected reverently.
We forget that it is not walls that enable people to live in communion, but the experience and expression of the simple intrinsic value and dignity of life. This understanding needs to travel across nations, permeating all barriers.
When we are aware of the dignity of life itself, all walls within the mind and between nations collapse. We must recognise that only in the unity of life’s dignity can we inclusively celebrate human diversity in religion, culture, and nationality. In this sense, diversity is not a threat but a source of joy that enriches our unity.
Human Communion as the Manifestation of the Divine Communion
The triune God is the communion of Persons. God sees His creation through His Word and Spirit. As the apostle John says, “all things were made through the Word and without the Word was not anything made that was made” (Jn 1:3). God loves creation totally in and through God’s Word. Hence, the gospel of John announces the divine truth “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). These passages reveal that God sees God’s own Son in creation and the eternal life is a life in communion with God the Father, a life fully open to God the Father through his Word and his Spirit. John does not speak merely of communion in the afterlife; he affirms a life in communion with God the Father in this very earthly life. This communion is our transparency to God through His Word and His Spirit.
War and violence are not solutions for achieving peace and a joyful life on earth. Only by understanding our dignity of life, shared and united with all human beings, can we come together in God to live the peaceful life we all desire.
This intrinsic communion is meant to be visibly manifested in our relationship with all humanity, beyond notions of good and evil, religion, caste, creed, nationality, politics, or attachment to wealth. When Jesus invites us to be perfect even as the heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48), he reveals humanity’s intrinsic capacity through him, the Word, to be open to God and to manifest God’s love in our relationship with all. This occurs not by relativizing human notions of good and evil, but by living in communion with God alone. In this, we recognize our dignity, the dignity of life, and our well-being. Jesus affirms that our communion with God in this life is expressed through our relationship with all, as children of God, forming one human and divine family beyond exclusion.
The Trinitarian Dimension of a Human Being
Human beings have a trinitarian dimension. Humanity has the Word dimension, seeking wisdom and finding its fulfilment in God alone. By manifesting the Will of God, human beings discover the meaning and purpose of life on earth. For this, humans also have the Spirit dimension, which liberates us from the confines of the world, opens us to God, and stabilizes us in holiness. Humanity has the father-dimension, embracing all as one in the Father. In the holy Spirit, we are the image of God, and in the Word, we are the likeness of God. Thus, humanity, raised from the earth through the Word (Gen 1:26) and breathed into the breath of life (Gen 2:7), is invited by God to live in communion with all through actions and words that reflect the Father.
Interior Transformation towards Inclusive Communion
The Word dimension in us, our human understanding or intellect, is like an arrow connected to the Spiritual thread of the bow, our body. Through awareness, we must draw the arrow downward so that it transcends all human notions and perceptions of good and evil attached to the World. In this very pull through the awareness, the intellect/ the Word in freedom and openness sees its holy path and orientation toward the Father as its destiny, supported by the power of the Spirit, the string or the spiritual thread.
In this destiny, human beings experience the cessation of likes and dislikes toward the world, rising above the differences such as caste, creed, colour, nationality, politics, and attachment to wealth. In this state of holiness and emptiness in the Spirit, the human person experiences an inclusive love for all, reflecting the Father who loves all without distinction. This love of the Father manifests in our relationship with all humanity through our words and deeds. This is the fruit of inclusive interior transformation.
Through this interior transformation, we recognize the dignity of our own life in union with the dignity of all humanity, within our communion with God. In this communion, we perceive the well-being of all as one family.
Dignity of Life as the Foundation for Peace
War and violence are not solutions for achieving peace and a joyful life on earth. Only by understanding our dignity of life, shared and united with all human beings, can we come together in God to live the peaceful life we all desire. Through the awareness of our dignity, we transcend all the ruptures and darkness of this world and, by God’s grace, open ourselves to divine love, living in peaceful communion with all. For the Word of God, the light of all humanity, shines in us (Jn 1:5, 9) amidst our darkness, through the Spirit of God (Gen 1:2). Let us therefore seek to live according to the dignity of our life, for the well-being of all and for peaceful communion with everyone.
