Let us make man in our image, after our likeness
Then God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground. (Gen 1: 26-27)
On the sixth day, in creating the world, God created man in his image and likeness. What does this actually mean: in image and likeness?
Once I have encountered a theological interpretation that an image is a static concept and it has been inserted in us, embedded in every human being. It is an indelible element of humanity, because by definition, already at the very creation, God wanted man to be his image, reflection in the world and He created man according to his will. Therefore, the human being carries the image of God within him.
So why is there talk about likeness? Since the likeness, in turn, is dynamic, it can be developed. And this likeness to God is shaped by ourselves in our lives - it depends on us how much we become like Him. It is clear that it would be God's will that we develop this likeness to Him as much as possible, which is why He constantly helps us in this. We give Him our will pieces by pieces, and He shares with us God's grace, “God's Uncreated Energies”.
To be able to become each day more and more like God, we need to spend some time getting to know Him first. If you are to be like Him, you should know who He really is. Neither book nor anyone's story can give you a knowledge of God that can change your life. Only personally we can know God. And in personal experience, He always appears as an unlimited, unconditional and free love that accepts us and loves us as we are.
The interpreters of this passage from the Book of Genesis point out that this is one of the few places in the Holy Scriptures, and even more so in the Old Testament, where there is information that God is not a single person. The phrase is used here: " in our image, after our likeness ". We are made in the image and likeness of a God who is not singular but Trinity. And this has extremely important consequences.
Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Spirit. The three coexisting as One - Father as father, Son as son and Spirit as love. God is therefore not an individual, but a relationship, not merely personal, but interpersonal. These Three exist in each other and for each other through a constant movement of exchange and co-penetration (cf. Kallistos Ware, " Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also"). God is relational by nature. The dogma of the Holy Trinity tells us, therefore, that God is sacrifice, is sharing, is solidarity, reciprocity, a response. WE are created in the image and likeness of such a God.
Reflection on Today’s Gospel
God said: " Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate ". But we have developed a tradition that in virtually any situation you can get a divorce, as long as at least one of the spouses asks about it. Also, we are in the process of developing a customthat homosexual relationships should be honored with the same respect that we respect in marriage. God said, "Don't steal." But we have developed a custom that if someone can find the right loophole, he can steal even millions with impunity. God said: "Do not kill". We have developed a tradition that in the first three months it is allowed to kill, and that it is also allowed to kill a dying man, because he would die soon anyway.
It is our generation that should especially hear these words of the Lord Jesus from today's Gospel: "How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!"
Let us also hear the teaching of the Lord Jesus where this attitude of tinkering with God's commandments comes from. For " This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts" (Is 29:13). If we do not build an attitude of total trust in God, then our piety must turn into a game of appearances. And there must be a situation where we consider ourselves wiser than God, entitled to criticize God's commandments and to establish our own moral laws, supposedly better than God's commandments.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george