In class this week we read & discussed Genesis 1. I asked my students what it meant to them to see themselves & others as made in the & #39;image and likeness& #39; of God. All the students who spoke up said: it makes no difference at all. That& #39;s never happened in my classroom before.

As I& #39;ve been reflecting on this conversation, I continue to be stunned. Usually, in the face of so much depersonalization in our culture (so many ways to feel like we fail or don& #39;t measure up), students find comfort in this inherent dignity & feel challenged to honor it in others

I will add that there& #39;s a lot of the semester left. I intentionally end our time together with @FrGregBoyle& #39;s _Barking to the Choir_. His wisdom about wounds, tenderness, and kinship is so moving (and in _Tattoos on the Heart_). I& #39;m hopeful this will reach them & stay with them: