Only by solidarity with other people\u2019s suffering can comfortable people be convicted. Otherwise, we are disconnected from the cross \u2014 of the world, of others, of Jesus and of our own necessary participation in the great mystery of dying and rising. God calls us to protect and seek justice for those who are poor and vulnerable, and our treatment of people is a test of our relationship to God, who made us all equal in divine dignity and love.<\/p>\n
Since everyone is made in the image of God, we need to recognize, honor and respect the image of God in everyone.<\/p>\n
Namaste asks something huge of us. If the divinity in me recognizes the divinity in you, how could I abuse, debase, violate or harass? When we live from our inherent divinity, it contributes to creating a just and loving world.<\/p>\n
I read in a book that a character defined sin as \u201cwhen you treat people like things.\u201d We\u2019re seeing the consequences of this everywhere. People are being objectified. The translation of namaste is one of infinite depth. Here we have an antidote to objectification. Something infinite, immortal, mysterious, loving and alive abides in me, and it is from this light that I bow toward that which is infinite, immortal, mysterious, loving and alive in you. What if this was the fundamental assumption we had about every person?<\/p>\n
If we fully acknowledged our dignity, it could lead us to radical life changes. It could ask something huge of us. There\u2019s an urgency to this moment. We must choose between a world of subjects and a world of objects. To acknowledge the divinity of another, we must first accept our own. Stepping into our divinity \u2014 acknowledging and accepting our nobility \u2014 is the ultimate paradigm shift.<\/p>\n
We cannot continue with business as usual!<\/p>\n