Man, this mysterious being, was created by God as the pinnacle of
creation, in order for him to acquire knowledge of his Creator. In accordance to
his great destiny, man was formed analogously. He received the honor of being
fashioned in an entirely extraordinary and unique manner and was brought to life
through God’s Divine breath. While all of creation was brought into existence
from nothing by a single phrase—“let there be”—that externalized God’s volition,
man alone had his body formed by the hands of the Divine Creator, only he
received a living soul created through God’s inbreathing, and only he is made in
the image and likeness of his Creator. What a marvelous creation indeed! What
an honor for man! What a great destiny! Truly, his destiny is great, and his honor
is sublime; however, more marvelous is the manner in which his body and soul
were created. Because he became the image and likeness of God and was
created in order to live eternally and dwell in the same place as the heavenly
angels.
How noble was man made! How much did sin debase and ignorance
humble him! But this is not so! Man was endowed with nobility, and he will remain
noble, even if certain people degrade themselves, even if certain people have
forgotten about their sublime descent…Yes! Man is a supreme creation, and
nothing can be compared to him.
The prudent portion of the human race, all who are truly wise, confirm this
truth. Behold what M. Frederic de Rougemont states concerning man in his wise
and insightful essay entitled Primitive mankind; its religion, history and
civilization: “Man is of noble descent. He was born in Paradise and not within the
wilderness. The sound of angelic hymns, not the roars of tigers and cries of
wolves, echoed in his homeland. God was vigilantly watching over him even
before man came to know Him. It is not at all true that man created the idea of
God in order to invent a certain divinity to worship. Humanity departed not from
atheism but from faith; not from deception but from the truth; not from ignorance
but from revelation.”
Unfortunately, they who pride themselves on their resemblance to the
animals seek to recruit new followers. They seek young laborers to overturn
humanity’s moral and ethical principles; they are looking for new diggers to help
undermine the foundations of society and deprave mankind. Behold the unethical
moral principles that constitute their “civilized” mission: “Pleasure,” they say,
“debauchery, and love are good; but so is hatred…The truth is good as long as it
provides us with some enjoyment; however, deception, hypocrisy, and deceit are
also good if they can help us increase our assets. Faith is good as long as there
is something to gain from it; however, treachery is also good if it can secure for
us greater profit. Marriage is good as long as it makes us happy; however,
adultery is just as good when marriage no longer satisfies our desires…Life is
good as long as it remains an enigma; however, suicide is also acceptable when
this puzzle has been solved.”
—by St. Nektarios—
