Dignité

How does the Church define dignity?

The quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed. In God’s eyes, we are all worthy because each of us is created in God’s image. Human dignity is not something that has to be earned, nor is it inherited. We are all born with it.

Inherent dignity of the human person

Jesus invites us to honor and love one another. All human beings deserve a life of dignity. Catholic bishops and Catholic social teaching invites us to look at human dignity through a wide-angle lens: care for creation, access to basic resources (including affordable healthcare, housing, education, among others), economic justice, the rights of workers. The opposite—inequality, economic oppression, discrimination, and racism—are equal to dehumanization.

We are called to be in solidarity with those whose fundamental dignity is being trampled, and whose human rights are being denied. Seeing the virtue of dignity in everyone means we must show solidarity and compassion. We must step out of our comfort zones and go the extra mile to recognize everyone’s inherent worth.

C’est ce que Jésus faisait chaque jour.

Oh mon Dieu

Tu nous as créés à ton image et à ta ressemblance, pourtant parfois je m’éloigne de Toi. Apprends-moi à te reconnaître chez les autres, à être miséricordieux et bienveillant envers mon prochain, et à montrer de la compassion quand c’est le plus nécessaire. Sortez-moi de mon confort et aidez-moi à ouvrir les yeux sur les réalités souvent douloureuses de notre monde. Marchez à mes côtés pour m’aider à bâtir un monde meilleur, un mot, un câlin, un appel, un pas, et une personne à la fois. Amen.

Quelle est une façon dont vous reconnaissez Dieu chez les autres aujourd’hui?