Christian Living

1. Human beings are made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore are given a great deal of dignity. To properly understand who we are, we need to go back to the beginning. In the beginning, God made us like Him. Genesis 1:27 says: God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. We were created to be a lot more than what most people settle for. For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. (1 Thessalonians 4:7.) If you’ve ever seen The Lord of the Rings, you’ll remember that the character of Aragorn, the King who is to come again, does not wish to assume his throne. He wishes to remain unknown and hidden, roaming the world as a ranger. It takes the great Elf-Lord Elrond, who is coincidentally Aragorn’s future father-in-law, to take Aragorn aside, to tell him to leave the ranger behind and to become the King he was created to be. Many people compromise their dignity just to fit in, because they forget that God created them to stand out. If we only understood what it means to be made in God’s image, our world would be a very different place.
2. All life is sacred, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. In the commandments God called this “thou shalt not kill.” Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2258) Anything we do to unnaturally end a life - whether it’s by abortion while that life is in utero, by killing someone while they are here, or by euthanasia to “mercifully” put someone out of their misery is an act of murder. God creates each life for a reason: For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) At the moment