Bishop Robert J. Brennan
Human dignity, respect for life form basis for all moral teaching

The recent canonization of St. Margaret of Castello is a moment of hope and inspiration for people all over the world, but has local significance here in Columbus where the parish of St. Patrick has long housed the shrine of St. Margaret visited by people nearby and from around the country.

Born with severe physical challenges including but not limited to blindness and stunted growth and physical development, Margaret suffered terrible rejection from her own family even to the point where her own parents left her praying at a shrine in Castello never to return to her.

Left on her own in a cruel society, Margaret became a source of strength and hope to many people in her calling as a Dominican Sister. Her power to transform lives went far beyond what might be expected from her physical stature, especially in the 14th century. Margaret, now St. Margaret, teaches us that the core of human dignity is not based on family status, physical appearances or strength. It is not granted by any government or agency. Rather it is bestowed on each of us by God who created us.

The first pages of the Judeo-Christian scriptures take us to the heart of human dignity.  “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) What sets the human person apart from all of creation is the fact of being created in the very image and likeness of God.

Consequently, I need to look into the eye of every individual I encounter and see deep within the very image and likeness of God. You might call it the spark of the divine fire. This is an extraordinary claim and as such informs all the moral teaching, public witness and social services for the Church in every age. Every person, created in the image and likeness of God, is of inestimable value and deserves profound respect. Such respect goes deeper and is more demanding than tolerance. It is rooted in truth and dignity.  

This reality forms the foundation for the Church’s defense of human life at its most vulnerable stage, its very beginning. The Church witnesses to the inviolable dignity of human life at every stage from conception to its natural end. The pro-life stance of the Church forms a foundation that frames all other moral stances. Without respect for human life at its earliest stages, all other rights collapse.  

This approach to human dignity requires an absolute rejection of racism, anti-Semitism and every prejudice based on ethnicity or religion. I can’t speak to current theories on racial justice except to say that the Catholic approach will always be built on human dignity.

Similarly, the recognition of human dignity leaves no room for violence, oppression, human trafficking and other crimes against human life. It must inform the Church’s teaching on the human person, marriage and the family, immigration, violence in our community, capital punishment, care for the poor, the environment, respect for those who protect and serve us, the way we speak to and about one another, and now, even our response to a global pandemic.

These are not isolated issues but rather applications of the truth of human dignity. This witness sometimes means going against the grain of systems of thought that change with every generation, instead being rooted in the eternal truths. It means commitment to difficult truths. It means walking patiently with every person, meeting them where they are at a particular moment while speaking the truth in love. Indeed, people of good will may disagree on tactics, but the principle of the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God must be the core.  

To be sure, the sad reality is that we don’t always hit the mark, do we? Institutionally, the Church, like every community and organization, frequently needs to examine its collective conscience, be honest about history and pursue reform. That is not to reject the past but rather to seek mercy and learn from mistakes. At the same time, as individuals, none of us is perfect. I need always to admit my failures, confess my sins and seek mercy. Repentance and mercy involve new beginning and resolve moving forward in the truth and love of God.  

I look forward to visiting St. Patrick’s in Columbus on the eve of All Saints to celebrate our newly named saint and to pray at the shrine. St. Margaret teaches me, indeed she teaches all of us, that God can accomplish important things through every one of us and thus to open our eyes in amazement to the image of God all around us in what Pope Francis refers to as “the saints next door.”