Thursday, February 4, 2010

Incarnation

Jesus became man and dwelt among us. When he ascended into heaven, he left us his body in the Eucharist and later sent the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus walked this world, he now is present in each person we encounter. The incarnation gives us a small share in Christ's divinity.
How then do we treat others? If Christ is in me, he is also in you. Do I acknowledge that at all? And if I do, does it help me to treat you with dignity and respect? We are called to share what we have been given with others. I do not mean material things here, but rather spiritual things such as love, mercy, forgiveness and grace. This is an ongoing struggle for me. I want to treat others with this in mind always. But, when those other people do not treat other people tat way, I want to withhold from them what spiritual goods until they behave. Which makes no sense at all and is counter-productive.
How do you treat people with dignity and respect, when you see them constantly not treating others that way?

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