The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-07-03
just Among Ourselves
Psssins Comment censiasred or tneons,dsrsss

IL has been the custom, since the threat of com.
munlsm gave flliip to our thinking to speak much
of the dignity of This use of the word dignity"
is not strange in Catholic ears but il surely is a
surprising term on the lips of those who have long
ago cast aside the old termnology of Christendom
TO modern mind, the word dignity" suggests
something of statelineSs; it calls up the image Of
an important person acting in manner that befits
MS position. In a lesser sense the word seems ia
mean anything opposed TO frvoity or the cutting o
FOOLISH capers. In mean sense dignity" suggests
stuffiness pomposity the pseudo-arstocratic air
The root meaning of dignity" is worth or value
And 1t also means worthiness And the term is used
with reference to no earthly creature but man. If
one speaks of the dignity of an animal this is by
way OF comparison with human being man has
worth dignity in himself and he has worthinesx
or dignity IN acting in that fits with his
value.
The worth Of thing can be Judged from what
wise person is willing to pay for it, Its worthiness
Is found in the way il iustifies that valuation
what we call worth in man may be figuratively
indicated by the prlce+ag on garment; what we
call worthness is the quality that makes the gar
ment hold ats shape and wear we'll
And as has been said the dignity of man is both
his worth and his worthiness What is a mans
worth? Where shall we find the revealing price
IS.
worth amounts TO, what he is bought for? Man
has indeed been bought; he has been bought back
after he threw himself away in a very bad bargain
To buy back is to redeem. And the price of man
is what Is paid to redeem him. Scripture tells us
what that price is. In the First Episte of ST Peter
q, 1879 we read, You were not redeemed with
eorruptible things gold or silver but with
the precious blood of Christ"
God Himself became man so that He might die
pouring out the sacred blood of His veins 10 buv
man back from the slavery and doom of sin and
so TO set his feet again in the way Of virtue and
peace, and heaven The Precious Blood is the price
OF man. II is what was paid for him II is his
value And since this price is itself of boundess
value II shows us that mans worth cannot be
measured. This worth exceeds all computation II
Is not 10 be estimated in amounts OF gold OF silver
II is q price beyond all earthly things And this
is what we mean when talk about the dignity"
OF human being
Is this what the modern world understands
when IL speaks, as Is now the custom, of mans
dignity? BY no means The world knows nothing
of the Blood of Christ; the world ignores Christ
and has done so since ii turned away its eyes
with the obdurate Pharisees from the Fact of the
Resurrection. What does the world mean by mans
dignity? Oh some obscure sort of excellence that
can be appealed 10 when politicians feel the need of
talking nobly The world does not like 10 be asked
Tor defniteness of meaning; the world loves words
and hates definitions II ustifies the remark of job
of one that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful
words"
But despite the worlds ignorance and vaRueness
the dignity of man consists in the fact that he is
child of God redeemed by the Precious Blood of
Christ. The Church knows this for the Church is
wise. the Church likes clear meanings for the Church
loves truth. And thus the Church knows as sound
human reason knows, that every human being from
the great leader and teacher down through the rank
and file to the diseased, the criminal the twisted
and screaming idiot is of a worth that cannot be
discounted or ignored, even for the sake of saving
or promoting all the states and governments of the
whole world That is why the Church stands square
ly,-as human reason stands-againSt all such things
as human RECOMMENDATION birth prevention mercy kill
ngs, and all the rest OF that evil litany which is
listed in the table of contents of modern book of
sociology or political science.
The dignity OF man is the worth of man
And the worth of a is the infinite worth of
his price, which is the Precious Blood. And, in the
second place, the dignity of is the worthnesS
of man. And this dignity is achieved by right hu
man conduct inspired and supported by the grace
OF God The worth of in wise depends
his own will. The worthiness of does so
depend II depends upon mans voluntary cooper
alton with the grace of God
The thing for all TO ponder is human dignity
out effort al worthness There is fine meaning
in the phrase noblesSe oblge: a mans position inn
poses obligation. We hear the slangy admonition
Act your age" We might make another, Act your
price; show your true value" We do not like to
the Hope diamond in Woolworth setting We are
not inspired TO behold our kings and presidents in
dirty and sloyenly attire, TO hear from their
lips uneouth and proiane speech.
To bring worthiness into line with worth,-to
put the diamond in proper setting; to have our
great leaders clean in person and speech,-we
must live the life indicated by the price paid for
The price itself gives power well as instruction.
For" says ST. Paul writing to the Hebrews about
the sacrifices of the old Law. IF the blood of goats
and oxen sanctify 10 the cleansing of the
flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ
cleanse conscience from dead works to serve
the living Cod"
To serve the living God with clean conscience.
This is mans worthiness This is the second and COM
pleting phase of human dignity. The Church always
teaches and urges her children to appreciate the
worth, and to strive for the worthiness of human
) fe ThuSd he and he