“To be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared.”
In this week’s Wednesday audience, Pope Leo XIV continues his catechesis on Gaudium et Spes, and the dignity of the human person.
The Church reminds us that human dignity arises from the very being of the person; it does not depend on our abilities, wealth, position, or even the right or wrong choice we’ve made. It is a gift from God, rooted in our identity as children made in his image and likeness.
With this dignity, we have received three gifts: intelligence to seek the truth, conscience to recognize our ultimate calling, and freedom to choose the good.
Only through Christ do we understand that to be a person implies relationship, with God and with others. To be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared.
“Created in God’s image, through Christ and for His sake, we have received a unique and indelible dignity. Let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending it always, with the light and strength of the Gospel.”
