The Self: WHO AM I?
HUMAN NATURE
What am I?
A natural unity of body and intellectual soul that complement each other
You cannot think of yourself away from your body
o Dualistic view
As spirit wedded to matter, journeys through matter toward fulfillment beyond matter
This human journey must be a social one, together with, in a community with, other
beings
o There are people who choose not to be antisocial
This journey is a historical one; unfolds its potentialities creatively through time; makes
one’s own history
o Everybody has a past, present, and unknown future
o When you meet people, they are like that because of certain things
o Control is limited
Example: dependency on parents, etc.
o You are making something of your life because of your choices now
PERSONHOOD
Who am I?
Symbolism: cross
Person as self-possessing according to knowledge and to action
o On a level of self-awareness, who are you?
o “I” self-awareness of ___ a subject
Most basic “I” I am unique
You need to be your own person
How to know who you are through actions through repeated
actions
There are people who are marked by what they do
Losing you identity = losing yourself
How much of you are is deepened by what you can do
There is no final answer to “Who am I”
o There is always a possibility for change it can get worse
Person as self-communicative and rational
o Spiral of self-development
o There are relationships that are good for your self-development and there are
also those that are not
Healthy relationships are supposed to accept you for who you are and
want what is good for you
There are relationships that are obstacles to your self-development
Question is not “Who am I” anymore, it’s “Who are WE”
o What can you give and what are you looking to receive?
Person as self-transcending, both in horizontal and vertical senses
o Horizontal: to transcend is to love others for who they are and because they
are happy
o Vertical: Once I decenter myself and bring God into my consciousness, I will
love you for how God loves you
Only with God, we have a love that will never end
The Human Person as IMAGO DEI
CONCEPT OF IMAGO DEI
Genesis 1:26
o Humankind
What constitutes the “Image of God”?
o Special duties and capacities God have given humankind
Duties of shaping the social relations
“Be fruitful and multiply”
The ruling over other creatures
Misinterpreted as complete control over nature
By shaping social life, as well as by “subduing the earth”, humankind represents God
within (this part of) the world
o Distinguishes humankind from any other creatures
THE ACCOUNT IN GENESIS
Humanity as pinnacle of the created order
Created with a special dignity in a special relationship with God
o The Fall (Genesis 3: 1-24): original sin
Humanity’s sinful state
Need of a savior
AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
Stress on the special relationship between God and humanity
God is immutable, human beings are mutable
o Through this mutability, the Fall occurs
Humanity has the tendency to turn away from God, to sin, and to be damned
Yet, humanity has an “appetite” for “blessedness”
o There is a yearning for God
o “Beatific Vision” to see God face-to-face and know/experience how it feels
to be loved
Everybody wants this but it is a struggle due to sin
Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ
THOMAS AQUINAS
Humanity’s likeness to God is colored by our sin
Still, likeness to God is our true identity and fuller participation in this reality is our true
calling
Union to God is only possible through the grace of Christ
o Our personal pilgrimage and quest to find our true identity and home in God is
made possible by “grace” of Christ, which builds on our human “nature”
THE COUNCIL OF TRENT
Clarified how the infusion of grace in the sacrament of baptism set the Christian made
in Imago Dei on a path towards oneness with God
An active dynamic relationship between God and the new Christian who must avoid
sin and live out their baptism to be granted the vision of God in the next life
o An ongoing relationship with God
o Receive grace through baptism, which is fortified by the other sacraments of
the Church
SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL
The vocation of each human being: Through our common baptism, we are called to
participate in the life and mission of Christ in our daily lives
Emphasis on our special dignity as creatures made in the image of God
Building up the kingdom of God as a community, as a pilgrim people
Stress is to reach your perfection which is to be with God
To be “image of God” motivates an individual as well as a solid way of living that mirrors
the ascribed dignity
o Cannot be lost or destroyed
You are “image of God” even if your state of being and/or your behavior may not display
that in a full sense, and thus you merit to be respected as being “image of God”
CREATED IN HE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD
Each human being is:
o Called by Him
o Known by God and loved by Him
o Willed by God and is in God’s image
o Stands under God’s special protection
TO BE IMAGE OF GOD MEANS…
As a human being, I cannot be closed in on myself
I am relational
I am a being of word and of love
I am in motion towards the other
The Human Person: IN EXPERIENCE AND IN CHRIST
PRE-NOTE
Relationship bet, body personhood, and socio-cultural institutions
1. Recognize the human body, particularly in its physiology has not really changed
over time and space
2. Accept that certain socio-cultural institutions engage with and “give form” to a
person’s bodily experience
3. Arrive at critical stance
a. Does the human body in itself, determine cross-cultural social relations
that are present in history?
b. To what degree do actual institutions enhance or inhibit human
flourishing and envision preferable alternatives?
MY SEXUALITY: Human Bodily Existence
An important part of human life
Only Humans attribute values customs, and meanings to sex and sexuality that goes
beyond procreation
Encompasses nearly every aspect of our being – from attitudes and values, to feelings
and experiences
Influenced by the individual, family, culture, religion and/or spirituality, laws,
professions, institutions, science, and politics
