Our Neighbor: An Image of God
[Our neighbor is] a living, rational and spiritual substance … created by and representing [God] .(OOCC, XIII, p. 60; GIL, VIII, p. 27).
Having described the concept of neighbor in a general and philosophical way, St. Vincent Pallotti attempts to give a theological description of the concept of neighbor when he says that one’s neighbor is an image of God. As an image of God, one’s neighbor is a living and rational substance created by God. He is not merely a living substance, but also a rational substance, besides being a creature of God. He is also capable of representing God. All these qualities, that is, a living substance, a rational substance, a created substance and a substance capable of representing God, make one’s neighbor a true image of God. Thus, one’s neighbor is very different from every other type of reality in this world. He is a temple in which the Divine Presence of God dwells. Hence, the manner in which one must reach out to his neighbor is similar to the manner he reaches out to God. By perceiving one’s neighbor from the theological perspective as the image of God, St. Vincent wanted to give the commandment of love a greater value. Loving God and loving one’s neighbor gains greater significance if one’s neighbor is viewed as the image of God. The sacredness of God is implicitly present in every neighbor I encounter and enter into relationship with daily. The more a person understands who one’s neighbor is, the more he would be able to love him genuinely and establish a community of love here on earth.
Do I consider my neighbor an image of God? Am I able to recognize the Divine Presence of God dwelling in my neighbor? Do I reach out to my neighbor with respect? Do I give him the dignity he possesses as the image of God in my dealings with him?
Behold, only this have I found out “God made mankind straight,” but men have had recourse to many calculations. (Eccl. 7: 29)