One God! One Humanity!

WORD 2day: Thursday, 5th week in Ordinary time

February 9, 2023: Genesis 2: 18-25; Mark 7: 24-30

Man - woman, we-they, rich-poor, high-low... these categories of daily consideration of people, things and events is something to be transcended. This binomial thinking is no thinking in terms of the mind of Christ. A true Christian mentality cannot operate on such discriminatory notes. But it is an interesting detail to note that Jesus himself received a little lesson from that Syro-phoenecian woman! Let us not say something like, 'Jesus was doing it just to test her' and so on. If Jesus had the humility to learn from the syro-phoenician, why should we lack that to admit it? Jesus, being fully human, knew and understood his need to learn and never hesistated to do it - even if it is from persons who were considered or called "different".  

Speaking about difference and dialogue, we see persons who are apprehensive about inter religious dialogue or multi religious initiatives. They prefer to look at the other as different, separate or even contrary. Some times in that fear they wish to do away with everything that is different and make everything one! This is not the Oneness that God wants of us... the oneness that God wishes from us is that oneness that validates and appreciates every difference, all the diveristy and every uniqueness that defines a person. This is so because each of us is uniquely the image and likeness of God. 

If we truly mean what we say and what we pray: I believe in One God - then we need to become more and more proactive and look at the reality as One Humanity! One humanity that is created by the One God, One humanity which is so rich in its diversity and difference.