Facing History & Ourselves Part II

This time my Dominican Study Group worked on identity. Doc Miller said that Duff's comment on "seeing God's image in each person" echoed within him all week. The rest of the night's discussion pivoted around this phrase. We looked at two gospel stories that related God's affect on people.

The story of the good Samaritan exemplifies Christian behavior. The wounded man is Christ calling out. The Samaritan is Christ saving man. The two religious passer-bys are people who are thinking of themselves and not others.

Zacchaeus, the tax collector was the other story. His behavioral turn around was not lost on my "cloistered brothers." People's perception of Zacchaeus was that of a crook. Once meeting Jesus, however, Zacchaeus wants to be like Jesus. Jesus' influence was that strong.

The entire session, I kept thinking of two books: Timothy B. Tyson's Blood Done Sign My Name and Timothy Radcliffe, op, What is the Point of Being Christian?. "Blood Done Sign my Name" is all about perception. The book is the true story of the civil rights struggle in the 70's South. The black people were in the ditch in need of a Samaritan. Radcliffe's book has a chapter in it called "I Am Because We Are." He talks about people being influenced by religion, society,school,state,family,peers, and friends. He says we only discover who we are when we are with others.

My brothers think that God is the One that knows us best. He made us in His image. He is good, therefore so are we (thank you AQ).