The final part of a four part series by Father Gerard Beigel, S.T.D.
Jesus Christ Refashions in Man the Beauty of the Divine Image
In its teaching on the divine image in man, the Catechism refers twice to a key passage from the Vatican II Documents that describes how Jesus Christ fully reveals the mystery of man and makes known his exalted vocation:
“In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear… Christ the Lord, Christ the New Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most high calling.” (Gaudium et Spes, 22; see the Catechism, 359, 1701)
This text summarizes powerfully the New Testament teaching that Jesus Christ is the perfect man who alone can fulfill every human being. Christ fulfills us in two ways. First, he shows us in his own life how to live a fully human life, by giving himself in love to God the Father and to others. Second, Jesus fulfills us by healing us and transforming us from the very depths of our hearts. In both of these ways Jesus refashions the divine image in man. Let us consider each of these works of the Lord.
— BEGIN OF WORD PRO FRAME — — END OF WORD PRO FRAME — Jesus lived a perfect human life. He never sinned; there was no fault in him at all. He did not live closed in upon himself, but made his life a total gift to the Father. On the eve of his Passion, Jesus proclaimed to his disciples that his death would reveal his total obedience to the Father: “the world must know that I love the Father and that I do exactly what the Father has commanded me” (John 14:31). In the perfection of his relationship to the Father and in his complete obedience to the will of the Father, Jesus reveals to all people the meaning and goal of human life. Precisely in his human nature, Christ manifests himself as the image of God. “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). What Pilate said in mockery is nonetheless the complete truth about Christ: “Behold the man!” (John 19:5). If we want to see the perfect model of how to live as a human being, we have only to fix our eyes on Jesus. He alone reveals to all people the mystery of man—he alone shows forth the perfect splendor of man as the image of God.
Jesus fulfills us not simply by showing us how to live in obedience to God, he also gives us the power to live this way by healing us and transforming us from within. In his first papal encyclical, Pope John Paul II gives us a powerful description of how Christ heals and transforms us from within. Jesus makes “contact with the inward mystery of man, which in biblical…language is expressed by the word ‘heart.’ Christ, the Redeemer of the world, is the one who penetrated in a unique, unrepeatable way into the mystery of man and entered his ‘heart.'”1 Indeed, the New Testament proclaims that Jesus Christ has the power to pierce every human heart with the light and truth of God. He alone “knew what was in man” (John 2:25). Christ’s blood that was shed on the cross has the power to pierce the depths of our being, “cleansing our conscience of dead works so that we might worship the living God” (Heb 9:14). Moreover, at the Last Supper Jesus promised that he would send the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, and that through this gift he would come to dwell in the hearts of his disciples.
“I will come to you. I will not leave you orphans. Before long, the world will not see me any more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:18–20)
This great work by which Jesus cleanses us of sin and then dwells in our hearts is actually the way that he restores the pristine beauty of the divine image within us. From his throne of glory with the Father, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit into the hearts of believers, freeing them to live as children of God. “You have received the Spirit who makes you sons. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father!'” (Rom 8:15). When people are healed by Christ’s love and return to the embrace of the Father, they receive power to live a new life. Patterns of sin are broken, relationships with others are healed, and memories of oppression and sin are put to rest. All of these graces remove the ignorance and shame that veil the presence of God’s image in man. As we are newly created in Christ, the splendor of God begins to shine forth in us, displaying once again the beauty of His image in man. “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).
But there is more. The fullest manifestation of the divine image in man occurs when we begin to share in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Jesus redeemed us from sin and won us for God’s Kingdom through his threefold work as priest, prophet and king. As our High Priest, Jesus entered the sanctuary of heaven on our behalf with the blood of his sacrifice (Heb 9:11–12). Christ is also the Prophet foretold by Moses who proclaims the fullness of God’s Word (see John 6:14). Likewise, Jesus is the Messianic King foretold by Scripture who would establish and rule over God’s Kingdom (see John 19:36–37). The Vatican II Documents, summing up a long tradition in the Church, teach that the Christian people are called to participate in this threefold mission of Christ as “priest, prophet and king.”
“The faithful who by Baptism are incorporated into Christ, are placed in the People of God, and in their own way share the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ, and to the best of their ability carry on the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world.” (Lumen Gentium, 31)
The splendor of the divine image in us reaches its perfection as we are conformed to Christ. Our participation in the kingly, prophetic and priestly offices of Christ brings about in us the deepest realization of God’s image. In light of our call to be fully conformed to Christ, we can “re-read” the teaching on the image in Genesis 1 and begin to see that man’s participation in the threefold office of Christ is mystically prefigured in that first chapter of the Bible.
Let us consider the four marks of the divine image in man: the gift of dominion, the power through fertility to be co-creators with God, and the desire of man to worship God and to enter into the Sabbath rest in God. The gift of dominion, of exercising God’s rule over creation, is ultimately an invitation to participate in the kingly authority of Jesus Christ. The power to be co-creators with God through the gift of fertility is a participation in the power of God’s Word that creates all things; thus, this mark of the image involves a share in the prophetic mission of Christ. Thirdly, the desire of man to worship God and to enter into the Sabbath rest in God is ultimately fulfilled by our sharing in the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In and through the Son of God made man, we receive the grace of offering to God a perfect sacrifice of praise. In and through Jesus Christ, we can finally enter into the rest of God (see Heb 4). Finally, in the light of Christ, what is the significance of the original communion or unity between Adam and Eve before sin? St. Paul writes that this communion is actually an image of the communion between Christ and his Bride, the Church (see Eph 5:31–32). Thus, we see that every aspect of the teaching in Genesis about the divine image finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The image of God in us is perfected through faith and union with Jesus the Lord.
— BEGIN OF WORD PRO FRAME —
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- Read Genesis 1:26–2:3 and identify the four marks of the divine image in man. Do you see these marks of the divine image in your own life? How strong is your awareness that you are a son or daughter of God?
- How have your sins disfigured God’s image in you? How is God leading you to the true Image, Jesus Christ, for healing and transformation?
- How is God calling you to participate in the kingly, prophetic, and priestly mission of the Lord Jesus?
— END OF WORD PRO FRAME —
The teaching in Scripture that God has created man and woman in the divine image should be the basis for our thinking about every aspect of our lives. Whether someone is alienated from God and trapped in sin or has been striving for years to grow in Christ, the way forward to our true fulfillment lies in allowing Jesus to liberate the divine image within us. The teaching in Genesis 1 and in the New Testament on the divine image in man is not supposed to be an abstract truth. Rather, this teaching on the divine image is supremely practical. Let us consider what might be the worst possible condition into which a human being could fall. Then, let us imagine that this same person sees and believes the simple truths that we have outlined in this essay—that he or she is created in the image of God, and that even though sin has marred the splendor of the image, Jesus Christ refashions the divine image from within the depths of one’s being so that the splendor and glory of God’s life may reign in every aspect of one’s being. As St. Irenaeus said, “the glory of God is man fully alive.” Man becomes fully alive only when he realizes that he is created in the image and likeness of God. Then, as he lives in accord with this truth, the beauty of God shines forth from within the depths of his heart. As Jesus said, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give praise to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16).
Father Gerard Beigel teaches at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Colorado, and writes regularly for The California Mission.
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter “The Redeemer of Man,” no. 8.