In The Image

As I was wheelchaired down the ramp at my house to the vehicle taking me to Pittsburgh for my transplant surgery, my 8 months pregnant daughter Manjari was there. We took a picture of us standing together, her with her pregnant belly (life comes from life)and me with my ascites belly, which was holding 30 pounds(14kilos) of extra fluid. Some members of my family think the photo is in poor taste so you have to go to Flickr to see it.

http://static.flickr.com/97/215631124_312b0e5961_b.jpg

“The human soul is still the image of God, and no matter how far it travels away from Him into the regions of unreality, it never becomes so completely unreal that its original destiny can cease to torment it with a need to return to itself in God, and become, once again, real.”

“The New Man” by Thomas Merton
Ferrar, Straus, Giroux Publishers, New York 1961: Page 112


God is sitting in Heaven when a scientist says to Him, "Lord, we don't need You anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing. In other words, we can now do what You did in the 'beginning'."

"Oh, is that so? Tell Me..." replies God.

"Well, "says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the Likeness of You and breathe life into it, thus creating man."

"Well, that's interesting. Show Me."

So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil.

"Oh no, no, no." interrupts God,

"Get your own dirt."