Chapter One:
The Gift of Being Human
“What are humans that you are mindful of
them, mere mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them little less than a
god, crowned them with glory and honor.”
Psalm 8:5-6
Act Human
1)
Everyone doesn’t have to like us.
2)
It’s okay to make mistakes.
3)
Other people are okay, so are you.
4)
You don’t have to control everything.
5)
We are responsible for how we feel and what we do.
6)
It is important to try.
7)
We are capable and can change. The same is true of
others.
8)
We can be flexible.
Humans are Made in the Divine Image
(Genesis 1:26-31) page 28

Created out of love

God is the Creator.
 Nothing

Humans are in charge of the rest of creation.
 Have

created God!
we done a good job?
Made in the Divine Image.
 What
does that mean?
God is the Creator

Whether we want to acknowledge it or not God is the
Creator and God keeps us in existence.

Throughout human history when humans forget about
God then humanity runs into trouble. (Old Testament
examples?)

We need to understand that we are not God (gods).


We have to acknowledge that God is in control.

Why is this not always easy to do?
When we say “God is in control.” we need to be
careful that we don’t make God out to be some-sortof puppet master.
Human’s Place in Creation

As Christians we
understand that we are
created out of Love and
that we are to return the
Love of God by serving
God!
God Makes Us in the Divine Image

God has no “body”. Pure
spirit without physical or
material qualities.

God is a community
“Triune” (Father, Son, Holy
Spirit)

What are our abilities

Think

Choose

Love

Relate to others in community
God Made us Male & Female
 Humans
are equal
in dignity.
 Spiritual-Material
Creation Is Good



Beings
 We
have souls and
bodies
 You
are a SOUL with
a body NOT a body
with a soul.
 What
does that
mean?

Life is valuable!
Life is Good!
The 2nd Story of
Creation helps to
assert the fundamental
goodness of human
beings who were
created for friendship
with God.
Proof that God truly
loves us can be seen in
Jesus Christ.
Human Dignity

Dignity is the quality of being worthy of esteem
and respect.
 This
quality applies to all humanity.
 Dignity does not need to be earned.
 We have dignity despite our personal
accomplishments.
 Our dignity comes from our relationship with
God.
 Respect
for human dignity is the
cornerstone of morality.
 What
does that mean?
Our Spiritual Nature

“The truth is not always the same as the majority decision.” (St.
John Paul II)

“It is Christ, the image of the invisible God, that man has been
created in the image and likeness of the Creator.” (CCC1701)

Our spiritual nature makes us unsatisfied with living merely a
physical existence in the here-and-now.


Why

Why am I here? & Why do I exist?
“You have made us for yourself, O God, and so our hearts are
restless until they rest in you.” St. Augustine
We Have and Can …
 Ability
to think
 Responsible
 Ability
to love
 Capacity
beings
to grow
Freedom is not license.
What does this mean?
The Principle of Subsidiarity
 CCC1883
“a community of a higher order should not
interfere in the internal life of a
community of a lower order, depriving the
latter of its functions, but rather should
support it in case of need and help to
coordinate its activity with the activities
of the rest of society, always with a view
to the common good.”
Pg. 37 (Bullet Points)
1.
The human person is and should
be “the principle, subject, and
object of every society. (CCC
1891)
2.
Using gifts & talents – positions &
roles … we all have RIGHT & DUTY
to participate in the societies to
which we belong
3.
Authentic Authority comes from
God.
1.
Authority figures must be
devoted to the common good.
2.
Use morally acceptable ways of
exercising power.
3.
Political authority must be used
morally and guarantee the
conditions that promote true
human freedom.
4. Larger societies should
support the participation of
individuals and lower-level
communities without taking over
functions these smaller units can
do for themselves.
5. Societies should promote
virtue and challenge individuals
to turn from sin, serve others
justly, and contribute their gifts
and talents to the common good.
6. Common Good Requires:
A.
Respect the basic inalienable
rights of each human being
B.
Promote the social well-being
and development of various
social groups.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inalienable?s=t

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equity?s=t
7. Living in community requires
that we treat everyone with the
utmost respect!

Everyone is our neighbor;
even our enemies.

All humans share the same
nature, soul, origin,
Salvation, & destiny

We all possess God-given
dignity which entitles us to
fundamental rights which
everyone should respect.
8. We must use our gifts & talents to help
others.

Those who are gifted are obligated to
share with others.

We must work to eradicate sinful
inequalities of wealth and social status
that destroy justice, peace, equity and
human dignity.
9. We are in solidarity with others.

Solidarity gives us courage and spirit of
generosity to share both our material
and our spiritual gifts with others.

We are all members of the human
family and that we must go out of our
way to help one another.
The Principal of Subsidiarity
Common Good

“Sum total of social
conditions that allow
people, either as groups
or as individuals, to
reach their fulfillment
more fully and more
easily.” (Pastoral
Constitution of the
church in the Modern
World, 26)
Solidarity

The Christian virtue of
social charity and
friendship.
The Social Nature of Humans

We are created as social beings

It is part of our human nature to live in various
societies

We relate to others by loving and sharing our gifts

If we are indifferent or hostile then our negative
attitudes and behaviors will impinge on others in a
harmful way
Humans are Wounded by Sin

Adam and Eve chose themselves over God.

Their sin of disobedience infected the whole human race.
 Original

Humans have fallen victim to weakness, cowardice, avarice,
and various other evils…


Sin
What is “collective sin”?
Sin (choosing self by ignoring God) is harmful to humans

This would be a hopeless situation if it had not been for the
Salvation action of Jesus Christ
A Savior
 Jn
3:16 “so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish but might have eternal life”

Jesus Christ is God Incarnate (made flesh)/ He is Love made Flesh
 Paschal
Mystery

Passion

Death

Resurrection

Ascension

Delivers us (all humanity) from evil (eternal death)

We are adopted into the divine family of God at baptism
“Christ has no body now on
earth but yours, no feet
but yours; yours are the
eyes through which Christ’s
compassion looks out at
the world, yours are the
feet with which he is to go
about doing good, and
yours are the hands with
which he is to bless us
now.”
St. Teresa of Avila
The End