"Beautiful!"

Goodness

If the Church has a prophetic mission in the world today, it is to declare over and over again that all who have been made in the image and likeness of God have been declared by God to be good, no matter what.

Br. James Koester, SSJE Read More and Comment

I'll call her AB. She has always been a kind soul, loving wife and mother, friend and supporter. However because of a brain disorder, her language is limited, her memory distant and her gestures

erratic. The diagnosis says that these are some of the symptoms she might have:

• Increasingly inappropriate social behavior

• Loss of empathy and other interpersonal skills, such as having sensitivity to another's feelings

• Lack of judgment

• Loss of inhibition

And yet...when AB sees anyone she might possibly know, she raises her hands in greeting and says, "Beautiful." When in a conversation anyone says anything tender or of concern, AB says, "I love you." and when she looks at anyone she knows and wants to speak, she reaches for a hand to kiss and says, "Beautiful. I love you."

For me, AB exhibits being made in the image and likeness of God, declared good by God and no matter what, being with her is like being with God. Her eyes light up, her face smiles and she kisses your hand. May we all have such lack of judgment and loss of inhibition...and may it become appropriate social behavior.