Each human person is unique. I am one of a kind and there is no other one like me, never was and never will be. I am complete by myself and I have everything I need in me to become fulfilled. . What I am is not something that has been taken away from or denied of somebody else. Something I see different in others and may sometimes wish I had is not something that was taken away from me. All of these realities are telling me that life is so rich that it would take billions of iterations and variations to fully express all of its possibilities.
When I was growing up, we lived besides some wonderful neighbors who, to me, had everything I would sometimes wish we also enjoyed: good food, nice clothes, a car and a TV set! But I did not do so out of envy for I was also too busy and happy enjoying what I had in my life. In fact, I was happy seeing how wonderful their life was. It showed me that there are alternative lifestyles other than the one I was enjoying. I was happy that when I looked across from our house, there was the sight of a beautiful house right there for me to enjoy and there were our pretty neighbors for me to admire.
And years later, I would get to meet my neighbors again. We are all grown up now and share the memories of our youth. It turns out it was the small things we shared that we we remembered most. Happiness was a warm pan de sal filled with coco jam. A soda was a special treat for special occasions, like when we were recovering from a fever! Different lives. One and the same happiness.
We were and are called into life. And each life is unique. There lies the utter beauty and mystery of our existence. We come from the same infinite source but differently and uniquely expressed. And each one of us is infinitely precious in God’s sight. I have come to truly realize this truth in prayer.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
Psalm 149
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Luke 6:12-16