What Belongs to God

“Whose image and likeness is this, and whose name is written on it?” (Mt 22:20)

The coin placed in Jesus’ hand bears the likeness of the emperor and his title.  The human person is made in the image and likeness of God and we bear his name written on the deepest part of ourselves.

“God created man in his image;
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.” (Gn 1:27)
“And with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Rv 14:1)
“…they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Rv 22:4)

A tattoo or outward branding indicates to whom one belongs.  It is a permanent mark applies with fire.  But in itself, this is only skin deep.  “Branding” can be achieved without permanent mark by merely wearing a t-shirt or baseball cap.  This is even more ephemeral.  To whom do I belong?  Do I belong to the Red Sox, the Republican Party, the Ramones…or to the Creator and Redeemer of my very being?

“Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status.” (Mt 22:16)

The Pharisees’ insincere praise of Jesus ironically reveals his true self.  He sees people in accordance with truth: no partiality, no prejudice.  The Greek has, literally: “you do not look into a person’s face.”  This means that he does not judge by the surface but according to the heart.  He sees beyond their pleasant demeanor to the malice of their hearts and, not stopping there, looks deeper still to the branding of the inner being in the image of God.  His intention is to bring them to render to God what belongs to God – their very selves.

The Cistercian Fathers and Mothers greatly emphasized this doctrine of creation in the image and likeness of God.  Our likeness to God is damaged and obscured by sin, but not irrevocably so, since the image of God is indestructible in us.  We dwell in a region of unlikeness, but are called to return to our proper state of likeness to God.  This is the source of a spirituality that is realistic and optimistic in equal measure.
William of St Thierry expresses this most eloquently:
“O image of God, recognize you dignity; let the effigy of your Creator shine forth in you.  Purify yourself, train yourself in godliness, and you shall find the kingdom of God within you.  To yourself you seem of little worth, but in reality you are precious.  Be wholly present to yourself and employ yourself wholly in knowing yourself and knowing whose you are, and likewise in discerning and understanding what you are and what you can do in him whose image you are.”
(William of St Thierry, Exposition On the Song of Songs, 66)

So how does this fundamental teaching affect us in our daily life?  What difference does it make to me that I am created in the image and likeness of God, that I bear his name branded on my deepest self?  Do I sign on the dotted line to the doctrine, but live as if I were my own property, or a cog in the wheel of corporate America, or created in the image and likeness of someone else’s expectations?

William calls us to pay attention to oneself:
Dignity, preciousness – this paves the way for confidence in my capacity for the divine, reverence for who I am in the eyes of God.
Purify, train yourself – this points to the need for effort to choose to live in accordance with my nature and to resist alternate suggestions; it speaks to the possibility of growth, change, movement toward fuller fidelity.
Presence, knowledge – this evokes a need for careful attention to all that is happening within and around me, the search for understanding and the memory of the one to whom I belong.

It is just as important to attend in this way to those with whom we share our life:
The dignity and preciousness of each one calls for reverence, endless hope in the possibility of creative choices for growth, and a quality of presence to the other, with sensitivity to look deeper than the surface.  Not only not to judge a person by their face, but not by their heart either – to look for the child of God in one who is behaving like a child of Gehenna.

All this attention to the image leads us ultimately to attend to the archetype: God.  It is the thought of God which must preoccupy us, night and day, in our resting and our rising, so that all things may be seen and pondered, weighed and measured in light of his goodness, truth and beauty.  May we strive to live constantly and consciously under this deifying light.

Image: Susan Hadley, Your Name is Written in the Palm of His Hand, susanhadley.artweb.com