Human Dignity And The Signs of The Times The Church as a Prophetic Witness
Loading...
Date
1996-02
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
Today the human person is viewed more in terms of freedom than in terms of
reason. Indeed freedom is the loftiest of all the gifts the human person is endowed with,
as the Vatican Council II humbly but courageously proclaimed: "The people of our time
prize freedom very highly and strive eagerly for it. In this they are right."' It is only in
freedom that humans can turn themselves towards what is good. "Human dignity therefore
requires them to act out of a conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal
way from within, and not by blind impulses in themselves or by mere external constraint.
Humans gain such dignity when they press forward towards their goal by freely choosing
what is good, and, by their diligence and skill, effectively secure for themselves the means
suited to this end."2 In other words, we are unfinished products, and by virtue of freedom
we determine to be humans. This is the point I have attempted to make in the first chapter.
Humans can choose good only from what is basically good. The Scripture reveals
that God created everything good (cf. Gen 1:31), and entrusted all things to the benefit and
care of human beings. The good creation is believed to acquire "an added dignity from its
relation with the human person, for whose use it has been created. And then, too, God
has willed to gather together all that was natural, all that was supernatural, into a single
whole in Christ, 'so that in everything he would have the primacy' (Col 1:18). Far from
depriving the temporal order of its autonomy, of its specific ends, of its own laws and
resources, or its importance for human well-being, this design, on the contrary, increases
its energy and excellence, raising it at the same time to the level of the human person's
integral vocation here below."3 This theme will bridge the first and the second chapters.
The dignity of human persons is based on their creation in the image of God. They
are unique among all other creatures because of their freedom, but an accountable and
responsible freedom. Through freedom we are invited to grow and become like God
himself. "For God willed that humans should be left in the hands of their own counsel, so
that they might of their own accord seek their creator and freely attain their full and blessed
perfection by cleaving to him."4 That is to say, we work out our salvation by the faculties
we are endowed with.
One of the areas in which humans have exercised their freedom, and shown their
creativity is in the field of technology and science. The Church acknowledges that "By the
work of their hands and with the aid of technical means humans till the earth to bring forth
fruit and to make it a dwelling place fit for all mankind; . . . in so doing they are realizing
the design, which God revealed at the beginning of time, to subdue the earth, and perfect
the work of creation, and at the same time they are improving their own person: they are
also observing the command of Christ to devote themselves to the service of their fellow
humans."5 By this it is implied that for all our creativities Jesus is our guide and model.
Strangely and painfully, a lopsided exercise of this mandate to dominate has
distorted the very purpose of our creation. Instead of transforming the face of the earth,
and restoring the original purpose of creation, humans have managed to widened the gap
between one another. Plainly put, due to manipulative technological advancement, there
is a deterioration of human dignity. Science and technology have totally abandoned the
spiritual dimension of the universe. It is easy to discern this reality if we consider
attentively the world of today, which is so busy with politics and controversies in the
economic order that it does not find time to attend to the care of spiritual reality. The
human person has become a victim of materialistic ideology. As the signs of the times
disclose, human beings have almost become machines, and machines have become gods
to humans. There is less worship of God, as humans have begun worshipping wealth and
riches. God created humans in his image, but humans have created God in the image of
machines. The golden calf is back but now in the form of computers, complicated
machines, jet fighters and nuclear weapons, threatening the existence of humanity, and
questioning the relevance of God for the modern world. Hopefully, this will be clear at the
end of the second chapter.
The earth was given as a gratuitous gift offered for the use of all. But today it is no
more a gift. Instead, it is misused and abused, and treated like private property by some
people. Earth's resources have been used as a means to dominate others. Human beings
have been treated as objects everywhere. The freedom of some has forced others into
bondage. Despite the material advancement there are widespread discriminations
spreading everywhere. The progress in some places does not mean the same in other
places. You will discover some of these aspects in the third chapter. However, I have
focussed on just three predominant areas of injustices and harm the modern progress has
done to humanity and the rest of God's creation. These are the urgent issues that make
the headlines of the story - "The Signs of the Times". There are many signs of the times
which I have not included in my survey, but I hope, the listed ones will give incentive to the
readers to include their own, as these signs keep on varying depending on situations and
circumstances.
At this juncture the Church reminds humans that "the future is here in the urgent
appeal to the peoples of the world for more justice, in their will for peace, in their conscious
or unconscious thirst for a higher life, that life precisely which the Church of Christ can and
wishes to give them."6 The Church of Christ seems to read the signs of the times and voice
concern for God's creation, for we belong to God and all creation belongs to God, and to
God alone! This is the message of the fourth chapter. I have only attempted to present the
teaching of the Church on some justice and peace issues of a particular time. However,
today we are encircled by the 'structures of sin', which make any simplistic remedy
unworkable. For Christians the mission is vast and wide. As you go through the pages,
discern for yourselves if you too can come up with some resolutions!
Description
Keywords
Human dignity, Signs, The Time, Church, Prophetic Witness, The Human Person