THE PERSONHOOD - FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE
As the celebration of Christ's birth approaches, we read various prophecies and revelations about who the Christ Child would be from the Holy Scriptures. They lead us to our belief that God became fully man while he was fully God, which is a divine mystery. When did this happen? Have you ever pondered the question of when the personhood of a little embryo begins? It is important not only for the Christ Child but for every human child.
Young parents are encouraged by modern medical science to
begin relating to and interacting with their unborn baby while still in the womb.
Various scientific research has been carried out and is being carried out to
determine when the personhood of an unborn child begins.
Five positions on scientific theories
Professor Scott F. Gilbert, the Howard A. Schneiderman
Professor of Biology, emeritus, has categorized the findings of various
research works by different schools of thought.
Position one: Personhood begins at fertilization. Here
is where the geneticists say life begins.
Position 2: Human development begins with gastrulation.
Gastrulation is the time when the embryonic cells start moving, acquire new
neighbors, and become an individual.
Position three: personhood begins when the fetus acquires
the human-specific electroencephalogram (electrical signals of the brain)
pattern.
Position four: personhood begins at birth. This is when
legal personhood and identity are recognized by society.
Position Five: the gradual acquisition of personhood put
forth by the biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky. According to him, the question of
when personhood begins "probably stems from the belief that a soul,
conceived as a supernatural entity, descends upon a formally soulless living
thing and suddenly transforms the latter into human estate."
Professor Scott F. Gilbert, has said with "absolute
certainty" that there is "no consensus among scientists" in
unraveling this mystery. Looking at these five positions, it is clear to me
that there is an inexplicable mystery behind the beginning of every human
being. Each theory I look at makes me affirm that human personhood is
"fearfully and wonderfully made."
When Virgin Mary Greeted Elizabeth
Moving on to the pre-Christmas events recorded in the New
Testament, Luke 1:39–45 records the meeting of two pregnant mothers, Elizabeth
and virgin Mary. Elizabeth was a few months away from giving birth to John the
Baptist, while the virgin Mary's pregnancy had only recently begun, and she had
not yet informed Elizabeth of it.
As soon as the word of greeting came from the Virgin Mary,
the unborn child John "leaped for joy" in his mother’s womb.
Elizabeth, being filled with the Holy Spirit, went on to say, "And why am
I so honored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" It is a
mystery how one unborn baby leaps for Joy while the other unborn baby, may be
in the very early stages of the foetus is identified as "my Lord".
Fascinatingly, the first person in the New Testament to call Jesus
"Lord" was Elizabeth. He was not tissue, a mass, or a foetus. He was
the Lord, identifiable as a person. In the same way Luke the doctor didn’t
write about the leaping in Elizabeth’s womb as the "mass" leaped or
the "foetus" leaped. He identifies the experience as leaping of a
baby. These are wonderful indicators that the personhood of the two babies was
already there. The one (John the Baptist) who is to be born to prepare the way
for Christ’s ministry leaps with joy at meeting Christ the Lord, who is yet to
be born. Interestingly, the Greek word used by St. Luke for the unborn baby in
Elizabeth is brephos. It is the same word used for the already-born baby
Jesus (Luke 2:12, 16) and for the children
brought to Jesus to receive his blessing (Luke 18:15–17).
In reflecting on his own experience in the mother's womb,
King David acknowledges God's involvement in the activity that took place as
follows: "For it was You who created my inward parts; you knit me together
in my mother's womb." "I will praise You because I have been
fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:13–14) The word
"fearfully," when translated from the Hebrew language, means with
great reverence, heartfelt interest, and respect. The word
"wonderfully," when translated from the Hebrew language, means unique
and set apart. These are indications of God's being involved in making
each person through his infinite wisdom and power.
Let us celebrate the birth of Christ, keeping in mind every baby in the womb of their mothers. Their personhood is already in the making. We who live in the society into which these babies will be born have a responsibility before God to ensure that they are treated with great reverence, heartfelt interest, and respect. It is not enough to surround the manger as the shepherds, wise men, and a few others did after Christ's birth. We need more people like Elizabeth who care about unborn babies, pay attention to them, and recognize them as fearfully and wonderfully made beings with personhood.
December 23rd 2022
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