by Vince Cascone
There are a series of Progressive Car Insurance commercials focused on how we get more and more like our parents as we get older.
After seeing one of these commercials and noticing how accurate the premise is, I remembered a country song called, “Seein’ My Father in Me” by Paul Overstreet. Here are some of the lyrics:
I’m seein’ my father in me, I guess that’s how it’s meant to be
And I find I’m more and more like him each day
I notice I walk the way he walks I notice I talk the way he talks
I’m startin’ to see my father in me.
In this song, there is a sense of pride in the man who is starting to recognize how his appearance, actions, and even the way he walks and talks are so similar to his dad’s.
I am seeing this play out more and more every day in my own life, although my dad is quick to point out that my hair turned gray at a much younger age than his did.
Since kings ruled over such large areas of land in the ancient world and travel was so slow, statues and monuments of the king were dispersed throughout the land.
These images or likenesses of the king would let everyone know that the king’s rule extended through all of the areas where the image could be found.
Of course, humanity being created in God’s image and likeness goes well beyond our mere physical appearance. This refers to certain God-given capacities which are not only a part of our human nature but also unique to it.
Put simply, we are made in God’s image because we alone have been made capable of knowing and loving as God does. We alone “of all visible creatures” are “called to share, by knowledge and love, in God’s own life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 356).
This is an amazing reality that God has allowed us as humans to share in his divine attributes. God has allowed us to have a personal relationship with him, unlike any other being in his beautiful creation.
Our Catholic schools strive to help the students in our care realize the profound significance of being created in God’s image and likeness. We show them the great dignity they possess in having God as their source and in how their source has made them the greatest of all of his creation.
By teaching them this truth, we are also teaching them about the dignity of those around them who have also been made in God’s image and likeness. When we truly understand this, we can live our lives in a way that reflects and points to our Creator.
Please pray our faculty and staff members and their ministry of Catholic education as they continue to partner with parents in helping our young people to know their true dignity as those created in the image and likeness of God.
