LOST SYMBOLS

For some time now, I've been silently observing the staggering number of debates, tensions, and misrepresentations surrounding what it means to be a "person." I don't intend to turn this project into an apologetics page, and I'm aware that this post will generate controversy. However, before you read it as an attack, I'd like to share that it's an attempt to seek the truth amidst so many things that divide us.

When I thought about making this project, my intention was to find what is true, good, and beautiful in culture and all its manifestations—art, music, literature, film, and so on— regardless of religion. In other words, what Saint Justin Martyr so profoundly called the “ seeds of the Word ” hidden in the world. In philosophy, these transcendental properties (truth, beauty, and goodness) include one more that is rarely mentioned, but it is what compels me to publish this: unity.

June, the month of the Sacred Heart, has become a month of division, pride, protests, and profound cultural debates. Truths with a deeply Christian meaning have been replaced by ideologically charged images.

Language

Language is an essential part of human communication. It allows us to create words, communicate our inner selves, and build relationships. Language enables human beings to develop the relational vocation inherent in those created in the image of the Trinity.

Contemporary discussions about the meaning of words are not secondary or unimportant. Behind them lies a deeper question: is language meant to reflect the truth or to redefine it according to what we please? Much of the debate stems from this: euphemisms, lies disguised as truth, etc.

The Rainbow

In biblical tradition, the rainbow appears as the sign of God's covenant with Moses after the flood. It is a symbol of God's mercy, faithfulness, and love for humankind.

For some years now, this symbol, with its inherently religious importance and meaning, has been given another cultural significance. To such an extent that many of us fearfully avoid using the range of colors that have been given to us as a gift in creation.

Furthermore, the rainbow traditionally has seven colors, a number of particular significance in Scripture and Judeo-Christian tradition. However, the "gay pride" flag has only six colors, a number that is not overlooked in biblical tradition.

“My body, my life”

“You will be like God” are the words of the tempter. We are creatures, called to be co-creators . This number inevitably recalls the number of the beast in Revelation 13:18: “666.” The number that represents humanity attempting to occupy the place that belongs to God: to recreate the body and soul of the human being, as if they depended solely on a social construct or a personal idea.

Pride Month

A peculiar name to represent a month that seeks to highlight the desire to belong and be seen. Since the late 19th century, June has traditionally been the month of the Sacred Heart, the month of the meek and humble Heart, reminding us of God's love for humanity. The month of pride, established as such more recently, focuses on the root of sin through which humanity fell. We cannot help but wonder why the contrast between the month of meekness and humility and the month of pride.

Inclusion and Unity

“Inclusion” is a word that, personally, leaves much to be desired for the goal they seek. It contrasts sharply with a plea that comes from the depths of the heart, and from Jesus' most intimate moment with his disciples: “that they may all be one” (Jn 17:21).

While it is true that every human being should be treated with dignity and respect, this should not come at the expense of others. The pursuit of this "ideal" has been detrimental to social structures that they themselves do not respect. How many marches have ended in vandalism? Is this what true inclusion, which considers everyone, really means?

Final Reflection

The unity the Church seeks is not found in rejection, but in the search for truth , in dialogue that is capable of not renouncing what is true. We have forgotten that reality has its own meaning and we are trying to redefine it according to our desires. Behind the disputes over language, the body, identity, and rights lies a deeper question: Who is man? What does it mean to be a person? And for the Christian, the answer is found in Christ , because only in Him does man fully discover who he is (Gaudium et Spes 22).

By Daniela Aguilar, creator of Catholic Creative Reviews