THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Someone said: We are three persons: the person I THINK I AM the person YOU THINK I AM the person I REALLY AM.

Who are we really?

Genesis
God said , let us make man in our own image , in the likeness of ourselves

God created man in the image of himself , in the image of God he created him , male and female he created them .

Genesis : Humans
are not only part and parcel of the world, fully and deeply integrated to it.

but also the climax of Gods creative activitywe are God s images!

Man surpasses other things, not in the fact that Himself made man but in this that man is made in Gods image

The human person is the most perfect in the whole nature.

St. Thomas A.

 The human person possess dignity that has no price but value .

Emmanuel Kant

INTELLECT (Reason) Makes us capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator FREEDOM (Freewill) Makes us capable of directing ourselves towards our true God

Every human being is born with a natural inclination to do good and to avoid evil and with the capacity to distinguish between right and wrong

Human Being
The Image of God

What does it mean to be an image of God?

To be an image of God is.. to affirm the sacredness of the human persons dignity even before any human accomplishment.

To b e a n im a g e o f G o d is to reflect another who comes

first, another with whom we are tightly bound in relationship. Thinking and Loving we mirror Gods life, we reflect the beauty, the wisdom, the love of the Creator

To be an image of God is to live out our

We not only proclaim joyfully that gift of imagehood but we must also strive to use it and other gifts that come with it for others in the community .

imagehood.

We first receive love and in return we love in imitation of the love we have been given .

To act godly and to be moral is to use our talents appreciate the person that we are use our God - given minds and our freedom to love

The glory of God is man fully alive

St. Ireneus

Thus
To be an image of God is a summon to live out the fullness of our gifts by moving out of ourselves and entering being is To be humanthe world to be a fellow of others in human being . Martin Buber good relationships.
I exist in the measure that I exist for others for after all , to be is to love .

Emmanuel Mounier

our call to love a call to be a human person To do the right things To do the loving things

CCC 357 :

Human Person is capable of selfknowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons
to be a real human person is to LIVE A DIGNIFIED LIFE and BE RECOGNIZED BY OUR COMMUNITY

To be an image is to be a co creator, sharing in Gods royal activity of life - giving, justice doing, and peace - making.

The Dignity of the Human Person

Created in God s image and likeness Stewards of the Father Child of the Father Redeemed by the Incarnate Son of God Temple & Indwelling of the Holy Spirit Called to a Noble Destiny

ONTOLOGICAL DIGNITY

The dignity ( value / worth ) of the human person is based on the fundamental fact that he / she is a human being .

The ontological dignity of the human person must be respected, protected

This should not be violated and should never be exploited (from womb to tomb) The worth of the person is not based on education, wealth, his/her contribution to society, nor his/her A child of God virtues Even if he/she has lost

H is m o ra l d ig n ity ( man s moral sta n d in g ) m a y b e lo st b e ca u se o f Hsin v e r, h is ow e o n to lo g ica l d ig n ity re m a in s . G O D is th e L o rd o f L ife . R e sp e ct th e rig h ts o f o u r C re a to r. M a n a s lo n g a s h e liv e s ca n still re g a in h is m o ra l d ig n ity -- to live as a tru e ch ild o f G o d , frie n d - b ro th e r-

God created us : Rational, Conscious Open, Relational Embodied Spirit Historical Reality Unique yet Fundamentally Equal

NATURE OF HUMAN PERSONS

RATIONAL , CONSCIOUS
We can think, reflect, meditate, create, solve problems, pass one knowledge from generation to generation To be moral is to use wisely our thinking ability Self-awareness. Conscious of our outgoing acts. Free-will :

BEING

USE IT IN A HUMAN WAY This is the basis of our moral life.

OPEN , RELATIONAL
No man is an island Being a person means being BY, WITH, and FOR others. The human being as image of God is capable of self - giving . He / she must respond to God by giving himself or herself to others .

EMBODIED SPIRIT

Unity between our body and soul

We are EMBODIED SPIRITS

each person is composed of body and soul

The LORD GOD formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life , and so man became a living being .
Genesis 2 : 7

BODY
Clay of the ground We relate to the world through our bodies Material limited

SOUL
breath of life Spiritual powers [reason,
freedom, will]

Spiritual transcendent

INTEGRATED HUMAN PERSONS

Both are essential components of being

Human body
Is not a simple accessory but rather as something integral in our becoming person.
Our bodily expression of love in relationships must be commensurate to the commitment that we have for other persons.

We need our bodies, our being in our relationships.

As embodied spirit
Need to recognize and respect our bodys limits and potentials.
Potentials: acting as co-agents with God to make this world a better place to live. Limitations: over powered by ones covetousness we could turn this world into a death dealing place. Abuse of ones bodily faculties.

What does that mean?

It implies that he/she must not be treated as an object nor as a means to an

IT IS A LAW OF HUMAN LIFE , AS CERTAIN AS GRAVITY TO LIVE FULLY , WE MUST LEARN TO USE THINGS AND LOVE PEOPLE NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE Dalai Lama

Thus As part of the world we are required to consider the negative effects in the positive discoveries of technology and to weigh their moral importance.

H um an ne e ds

Our need for material things is obvious. These material things have a subtle affect on our health and behavior. These needs could be transcended as values.
vIf our relation to things is ordered rightly, we recognize that our value comes not from our

HISTORICAL REALITY
n

We develop as persons in discernible stages

This baby would not have been alive if God had not given it life. For this reason, we bow our knees before God our Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth comes forth.

Historical Reality
In exercising freedom, we form ourselves WALK towards true freedom. Improve ourselves.

We are not static We have a goal, a journey, a race to finish, a task given by God To HOPE is to march back on our feet, even to crawl to do Gods will with Gods GRACE.

U n Iq U e y e t EQUAL !!!
Despite physical, intellectual, social, & moral differences we are EQUAL. The basis of our equality is rooted on the truths of the dignity of human persons.

HUMAN AS A PERSON

W h a t i a H u m a n Pe rso n ? s
intelligent made in the image and likeness of God free

being of moral worth

has inviolable rights unity of body and soul the subject of ones own moral acts. Always an end , never as means

What kind

of Anthropology?

Human person
-must have Difference?

Human being
-not all human beings are persons? -has of itself no moral significance?

developed exercisable cognitive capacities or abilities.

are persons! -there should be no distinctio n between a human being and a human worth human person.

st tre at m en t is du e to all hu m an be in gs

e d a s a m er e m e a n human dignity s or o bj

If we want to be authentic, To be our true selves, We need to place ourselves before God who knows us fully well.

How then should we treat

Our body , our life Other people Our clients The poor & destitute The handicapped , the old , the sick & the dying What you did Those in prison to the least Our enemies The developing of your human being neighbors , you did for Me .

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