Tuesday 4 November 2014

2. You and I

So where is this image then? Simple - you and I. We are the place where that image may be found. Doesn't Genesis tells us in its very first pages... "Let us make man in our own image...
"God created man in the image of himself, 
in the image of God he created him, 
male and female he created them" (Gen 1:26-27).
This amazing thought underpins so much of our Christian thought and teaching. The dignity of each human being, a theme beloved by Pope St John Paul II, and much else finds a basis ultimately in this belief. Yes, things went wrong in the Garden of our world, but that image surely remains, maybe cracked, perhaps covered with cobwebs or dust and grime. But its is there in my neighbour - and in myself.  The God who made it is the same one who can heal those cracks, blow away those cobwebs and clean away the grime.

1. In His own image

On Sunday 19th October it was the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar. The Gospel was the one about giving to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. Jesus asked for a denarius coin to make his point. The image of  Caesar was on it, as that of the Queen is on our own coins, stamps and elsewhere. But the thought occurred to me as to where we might find the image of God? The resulting thought has stayed with me and has developed into something of a theme in the days since then. I thought I would share it here...