Who are you in relation to God?

They are all questions asking for the person’s identity. And this can be a very difficult question to answer. For who you are is often hidden from yourself. People often respond, “It is me.” This does not tell us who you are. The question of identity is really huge. For we have political identity, social […]

They are all questions asking for the person’s identity. And this can be a very difficult question to answer. For who you are is often hidden from yourself. People often respond, “It is me.” This does not tell us who you are. The question of identity is really huge. For we have political identity, social identity, economic identity, geographical identity, psychological identity etc. The question, “Who are you?” demands more of a psychological answer than the many we have mentioned above. Who are you asks more of a person’s character.

To answer the question, Who are you?, is actually the beginning of a journey to self-discovery. However, even in psychological studies, the knowing of the self is always like a mirage. Carl Jung says that it is like a dog trying to catch its own tail. If you ever saw a dog do that you will laugh. For it keeps on turning round and round and round. The Organismic tradition in psychology holds that the self (person) cannot be understood without his/her environment. The proponents of this tradition believe that personality is always in relation to one’s environment. Thus one’s character appears to be the definition of one’s identity. Another strand of psychology, Analytical psychology, understands the self as the totality of one’s psyche. The psyche for them is made up of three basic elements: the conscious ego, the unconscious and the collective unconscious. For them, the way of knowing the self is an ongoing process. And the process is all about making conscious the unconscious part of ourselves. The bottom line in both traditions is that we get to know who we are better only when we stand in relation to others and the divine.

When we stand before God, the question “who are you?” is often very clear. For example, take a look at the Prophet Isaiah when he stood before the Holy in the Temple (Is. 6:1-13). When the Prophet came in contact with the divine, he knew who he was. He said, “Poor me! I am doomed. For I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips.” The Prophet then said that he was a servant, the Lord could send him. Again, when Mary encountered the divine, she knew herself as a nobody. “I am the handmaid of the Lord . .”  She said (Lk 1:38). Selwyn Huges tells a story of Sir James Simpson, the surgeon who first discovered anaesthetic properties in chloroform. His students asked him what his greatest discovery was. They expected him to say the use of chloroform as an anaesthetic. But the professor said, “my greatest discovery was when I realized I was a sinner and that Jesus Christ was my Saviour.” He discovered himself when he saw himself in relation to Jesus. Like in the gospel story according to John, the Samaritan woman, who for years did not know who she was finally got to know herself when in conversation with Jesus. When finally she faced Jesus, she came to know her personality. She ran back into the village and called people to come and see the man who told her everything about herself. Knowing everything about yourself, truly is not possible without the help of others. Our identity actually is about everything that we are.

In the face of our everyday responsibilities, in our relationships with others, we are challenged to know who we are. Place yourself before Jesus and then answer the question, “Who are you?” in your effort to answer this, what do you realize within yourself? Do you feel inadequate, or empty? Are your sins surfacing right before you? Know then that the journey to self-discovery begins with some feeling of longing and/or lack in your life. Which places did you look for satisfaction? Satisfaction of your longing and/or lack can be met only when you stand in relation to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. Have a nice Sunday!!

Rev. Fr. Zacharia  Nyantiso Samjumi