Thinking Anew:IT IS INTERESTING how words sometimes change to reflect the culture and the circumstances of the time. The word "humanist" for example has, for many, come to represent non-believers, men and women of high principle who don't believe in God, but that is by no means the whole story. There are many who would gladly identify themselves as Christian humanists and who see no difficulty in combining the two positions.
Bishop Richard Harries maintains that the term "humanist" was first used during the Renaissance by Christians who wished to assert the value of the human person. In the course of the debate Pope Innocent III had written a book entitled On the Misery of Manwhich drew a response entitled On the Excellency and Dignity of Manby a certain Giannozzo Manetti. Harries argues that this was not anti-Christian as some might think but an affirmation from within the Christian community of the value and dignity of man, made in the divine image.
Thursday was the Feast of the Ascension, an event which has much to say about our common humanity. We miss a great deal by dwelling too much on the physical characteristics of the event; much more important is the thought that in our Lord’s ascension our humanity also ascends. It might seem at first that to equate our humanity with that of Jesus is almost blasphemous. But while acknowledging our many imperfections, the fact is that ours is the humanity that he took and shared and transformed. In the course of his earthly life he experienced every possible human emotion and feeling – good days, bad days, acceptance and rejection, popularity and loathing, suffering and ultimately death.
Christians believe it was the same humanity that he took to the cross and in the mystery we call the Resurrection lifted it beyond death to a reality beyond words.
Herbert O’Driscoll, former Dean of Vancouver, writes about his days as an ordinand studying in Dublin and living at what was then known as the Church of Ireland Divinity Hostel in Mountjoy Square. He remembers in particular addresses given in the chapel by the great Archbishop Anthony Bloom who sometimes stayed there when visiting the Russian Orthodox community in Dublin.
O’Driscoll recalls one such address: “I realised that in many ways he was trying to enrich our images of the supreme moment we call the Ascension. Bloom was trying to get us to see that the event was not about our Lord’s going away. Only when we realise this do we see that, far from being left comfortless, we are strengthened by the fact that our humanity has been exalted . . . a part of my humanity stands in the unimaginable light of the presence of God. I stand there, and each one of us stands there. Why and how? Because Jesus stands there.
When he ascended he took with him part of the humanity of each one of us. What more can we say?” There are, of course, those who find it difficult to hold such a belief and who would describe themselves as humanists. They are often people who have travelled some distance along the Christian path in terms of the values they live by but are unable to take that final step of faith – a position we must respect. There is no reason why we cannot join with them in celebrating the values we share and try to promote them together.
Christian faith, however, takes us much further in that valuing the person is not just a matter of personal opinion or collective agreement – it is a value given, not invented or voted in. The Gospel insists that people are of inestimable value because they are the children of God.
And they are not just people in general, but individual women, men and children, each with a name, each having a priceless worth.
“Let no one say we are worthless. God is not a foolish speculator; he would never invest in a worthless property”. – Erwin W Lutzer.
GL