Infinite Worth, Infinite Value

Everything God has created has infinite worth and infinite value. Everything God has created has dignity. Yet above and beyond all the things in this world God has created, mankind is the pinnacle, the zenith.

In Genesis, God gave Adam dominion over all of creation. Yet, nothing in creation would suit Adam as an equal except another human being. A woman, equal and yet distinct.

These are all basic Scriptural themes we learned early in grammar school CCD. Yet, these basic concepts we took as givens have been called into question, and even have been rewritten.

I just recently finished a short story in Karina Fabian’s anthology Infinite Space, Infinite God, a collection of Catholic science fiction. The story, titled “ The Harvest”, by Lori Z. Scott, painted a world in which the human genome project and DNA experimentation were taken to their mind-blowing limits. In the story, a race of beings was engineered for the express purpose of harvesting organs for hospitals and laboratories. Yet, because of the morally nebulous nature of the project, it was taken to an outpost on the moon.

The concept almost reminds me of the quote from the movie Jurassic Park, “Just because we have the ability to do something, have we ever stopped to think that maybe we shouldn’t do it?” (i’m paraphrasing).

The story goes on to follow a priest-doctor who tries to convince members of this race, called HuNomes, that they indeed do have souls implanted in them by God, and therefore have infinite dignity and worth. Sometimes it is necessary to defy the powers that be in order to preserve that dignity and worth.

Today is the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was promulgated by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950. The world had just emerged from a devastating World War, the second in just 35 years. Much of popular culture would be influenced by philosophers and thinkers that had espoused concepts of nihilism, the idea that life is meaningless. This would eventually lead to a cheapening of human life.

In the wake of all this, Pius XII solidified a belief that had been held for centuries: that the Blessed Virgin Mary, because of her “Yes” to God’s invitation to bear the Savior of the world, was preserved from bodily decay, assumed body and soul into the eternal bliss of heaven.

A very hopeful image. This is good for Mary, but what about us? First, Mary is “our fallen nature’s solitary boast”, because she was conceived without original sin. Mary was a human creature, not divine like her Son. That means that we as human beings have an example in Mary to humbly trust God in whatever He plans for our lives. Scary? Yes! Anytime we are faced with the unknown, it is always frightening. Yet, God will honor the bravery we show in humbly accepting His will for our lives, just as He honored Mary’s bravery.

No less than in 1950, we in our day and age face nihilistic fears, from terrorism to a crumbling economy, to abortion and the attempted redefinition of marriage (the cradle of civilization). We who cling tenaciously to the promises of God in Jesus Christ fear for our future as committed Christians.

Yet, this feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother gives us hope. God is still in control, in spite of what we see around us. If God can raise Mary from corruption, then He can do that for us, as well.

“ Surrender to God and He will do everything for you.” (From Liturgy of the Hours, Tuesday, Week II, Office of Readings)