One Family, Under God
I have been blessed to have visited many countries: Canada, Mexico, China, Thailand, Germany, and Italy to name a few. My travels have allowed me to experience wonderful and variant cultures. I’ve found that all of humanity yearns for God. And while each person may express his or her need for God in a different way, the inherent desire is part of every human soul. God created humanity. As such, humanity is linked by a common quest to seek the divine, to fulfill our heart’s deepest desire. Saint Augustine believed that the human heart could not rest until it found rest in God. It is important to understand the variance in cultural expressions of one’s desire for God. Sometimes this can be a little confusing. While one culture may bow to the sacred, another genuflects; one culture may dance before God, while another sits quietly in God’s presence. How can we make sense of all this? It has been my experience that dialogue is the key to understanding humanity. When we take the time to talk with one another, we can discover the motivating factor or reason behind a particular action. There is universal meaning in the reasoning of humanity. For example, everyone agrees that it’s good to show respect for God and things that pertain to God. However, this expression differs among cultures. It’s important to be respectful of the reverence given to the signs, symbols, and language that have meaning within a given culture.
Only through dialogue can we find the common ground that unites us. And it is through dialogue that we discover the richness of humanity. Our vision is expanded by the diversity of the ways to express the unity that binds us together. We can become enriched and have new experiences of the vastness of God by engaging one another in dialogue, understanding, and love. All of humanity yearns for God. This common desire is at the root of why humanity reaches beyond borders and cultures to help one another in charity and love. Each culture has something to share that may help us all gain new insights into the depths, the heights, and the breadth of the love of God. Together, we all form the family of God.
