In the Image of God

Where do you see God's image? What does that image look like? Remember the teacher who asked her small pupil what he was drawing: "God" was the answer. "But nobody knows what God looks like," she told him. "They will when I get finished!" he answered.

We often hear, "You look just like your mother," or "You'd know he was Bob's son just to look at him." The book of Genesis tells us that "God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them." So we needn't look far to see God's image.

Try looking in the mirror - now smile a little! There, the image of God! Hard to believe? Then look a little further. Look at the people you meet every day. Start with the people you love - it's easy to see God's image there. Then broaden your scope to the crowd on the bus, the people in the grocery store line-up, all those drivers making their way home after a hard day. Well, some take a little imagination, but every one of them is made in the image of God.

Take a little time to make that image real to yourself - picture the kindness of Jesus' smile, his laughter, his gentle voice, his peaceful gaze. Then look for that image in each person you meet, including the person you meet in the mirror.

By Mary Buckley CSJ