Reflection On Man, A Divine Humanity

MAN, a Divine Humanity, is a living, dynamic, intelligent creature of God, the Creator. By virtue of His divine creativity and sacred artistry, God, the Creator, took the dust of the ground from which He formed man and breathed into his nostrils the BREATH OF LIFE and man became a LIVING BEING (Ref. Genesis 2: 7) created in the likeness of Him (Ref. Genesis 1: 27). The “fusion of horizons” of the intent and commitment of God to form man and man as a recipient of the divine intent took place which occasions the coming together and weaving of both horizons, thereby, forming MAN into a DIVINE HUMANITY. Divine humanity, not human divinity, for it was by God’s initiative, not man’s, that the weaving of both horizons happened.

MAN, a Divine Humanity, from the beginning of his creation, enjoyed the goodness of God shown to him. Before man was created, God prepared everything for man, equipped him with power, possessions and privileges. This in deed and in fact provided man the free necessities and opportunities in and for his life. In truth, God also gave man a helper with whom he could be happy and work with. “God said … God blessed … God created … God saw …” are phrases written in the Genesis account as Sacred Texts that unfolded the care and concern of God for man. So to say, by God’s own INITIATIVE, He substantiated and kept His relationship with man well sustained and protected so as to put to safety and security his IDENTITY and PERSONALITY dubbed as DIVINE HUMANITY. God, in turn, instructed man “TO CULTIVATE” and “KEEP” giving him the opportunity to DO HIS PART which occasions him further a closer relationship with God, a portrait of a “Fusion of Horizons”, that God stands “in relation” to man, man “in relation” to God. Thus, both are “in relation”, not “in isolation”.

However, MAN, a Divine Humanity, came to a point in his story and history when he DISOBEYED God. The FALL OF MAN came into the scenario where this “FUSION OF HORIZONS” was shattered, broken into pieces and man became “naked”, an imagery used in the Genesis account to mean “UNPROTECTED”. In the case of MAN, when he disobeyed the instructions of God, nowhere did he find PROTECTION anymore in the garden of Eden. The DIVINE HUMANITY, of which MAN was from the very beginning of his creation, lost its BALANCE caused by the shattering of the “Fusion of Horizons” and relationships between God and Man made BROKEN, a global display of the FALL OF MAN.

God, having displayed once again His INITIATIVE, sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to REDEEM MAN from the FALL, which had become the REASON for the change of paradigmatic existential condition from a DIVINE HUMANITY to a FALLEN HUMANITY. Thanks to that first GOOD FRIDAY when this paradigmatic existential condition was brought back to its ORIGINAL state, that is, from a FALLEN HUMANITY to a DIVINE HUMANITY, by Christ’s work of DEFINITIVE REDEMPTION, which He did ONCE FOR ALL (Ref. Hebrews 9: 12), that is, ONCE for ALL PEOPLES, ONCE in ALL PLACES, and ONCE at ALL TIMES.

EASTER VIGIL, celebrated by Churches throughout the world, is the greatest TESTIMONIAL of this DEFINITIVE REDEMPTION the world is in POSSESSION OF. It is the STRONGEST EXPRESSION of us all believers in our BELIEF in the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ, a RESURRECTION that empowers all of us believers TO RISE IN PROGRESSION TOWARDS SOMETHING HIGHER AND GREATER IN THE ORDER OF VALUES AND PURPOSE.

EASTER VIGIL animates and activates our SOULS to the TRUTH of our HUMAN EXISTENCE, that is, that WE ARE A DIVINE HUMANITY, that is, everything that is of God is in us NOW. WE ARE A REDEEMED HUMANITY. Our task, then, is to live out the FRUITS OF REDEMPTION which are exactly the opposite of the WORKS OF THE FLESH (Ref. Galatians 5: 19 – 21) throughout life if only for us to live LIFE full of joy and compassion, peace and love for when Christ comes for the second time, His coming again will have NO more REFERENCE TO SIN but to SALVATION for those who await Him (Ref. Hebrews 9: 28).

EASTER VIGIL excites us all believers to the REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST the very one and the same PRESENCE experienced by the disciples when He appeared to them after His Resurrection and in that PRESENCE He gave them His Holy Spirit, saying, “RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT” (Ref. John 20: 22). As the Holy Spirit resides and thrives in us, our task NOW is to live out the FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Ref. Galatians 5: 22 – 23).

For us all believers, a DIVINE HUMANITY … A REDEEMED HUMANITY, EASTER VIGIL is our most solemn moment in our human existence where we allow ourselves to be filled with the Spirit of the Risen Lord and shall continue to be such, the Spirit that contains our whole being, the Spirit that leads us to the WELLNESS and FULLNESS of life. WALK ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT AND DO NOT GIVE WAY TO THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH (Ref. Galatians 5: 16), THEN, IF ONLY FOR US TO SUSTAIN AND CONTINUE TO COME TO TERMS WITH OUR TRUE IDENTITY … THAT WE ARE A DIVINE HUMANITY.

God loves us all. A blessed Easter 2020 to each one of us.