A four part series by Father Gerard Beigel, S.T.D.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the great Russian author who exposed the injustices of Soviet Communism, once said that the greatest problem in the modern world is that human beings have forgotten God. Putting it another way, we could also say that man has forgotten that he is created in the image of God. When people today think about their problems, how many would really believe that the solution to their problems is found in remembering that they are created in the image of God? But however much modern man forgets, denies or ignores that he is the image of God, whenever a person discovers this truth the miracle of hope and new life always unfolds. There is the story of an atheist scientist who one day was converted to belief in God simply by looking at his daughter’s ear. The man realized that the design of the ear and the ability to hear could only manifest the hand of God. In that moment, the scientist was able to see that the human being is created in the image of God.
Many of the great saints of the Church have reflected on man’s dignity as image of God. St. Gregory of Nyssa taught that the focus and goal of all God’s work in a Christian is simply to renew and reform the divine image in the believer. St. Gregory explained that the more the human heart is purified of the wounds and memories of sin, the more the image of God will shine within the depths of the man’s being. The saint proposed the following image:
“Take a piece of iron as an illustration. Although it might have been black before, once the rust has been scraped off with a whetstone, it will begin to shine brilliantly and reflect the rays of the sun. So it is with the interior man, which is what the Lord means by the heart. Once a man removes from his soul the coating of filth that has formed on it through his sinful neglect, he will regain his likeness to his Archetype, and will be good.”
The fundamental blessing God has bequeathed to human beings is to make them, male and female, in His own image. This is the original blessing given to mankind in the divine work of creation. Moreover, man’s creation as image of God is a blessing from God that cannot be lost. It is true that sin has disfigured the divine image in man. Using St. Gregory’s illustration, sin covers over the divine image in man just like a layer of rust over a piece of iron. But despite the corrosion of sin, the image of God is still found in every human being. God committed Himself to undoing the corrosion of sin by sending His Son Jesus Christ so that the splendor of the divine image in man might again shine forth. Christ is the true Image of God who has the power to restore and renew the divine image in man.
— BEGIN OF WORD PRO FRAME — — END OF WORD PRO FRAME — The deepest healing that people need is simply to know and believe that they are created in the image of God. First of all, we need to understand what it means to be created in the image of God. Then we need to see how our sins have blocked our awareness and vision of the image of God within. Finally, we need to let Jesus refashion the divine image within us. Let us now consider in turn each of these three points.
Father Gerard Beigel teaches at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Colorado, and writes regularly for The California Mission.