From her experience living with the L’Arche community, she writes about human dignity and Christ’s teachings on it.

Dr. Agnes Thomas

I began to understand and explore the concept of human dignity as a core value when I started living in the community of L’Archeⁱ. Understanding what it means to uphold your dignity, dignified behaviours, etc., was commonplace in terms of growing up. However, I later realised that the notion of dignity was often intertwined with social constructs like class, caste, gender, occupation, and abilities. It was not seen as an inherent quality possessed by all humansⁱⁱ but rather as something earned or inherited, placing individuals in a hierarchical or social order. L’Arche offers a different worldview by organising community life where people with and without disabilities live together, sharing everyday life and work. This inclusive design removes barriers to participation, ensuring that everyone has a role to play. At L’Arche, upholding the value of human dignity is not just an aspiration but a way of life. While I am not seeking to idealise L’Arche as I acknowledge that the community has its drawbacks, I do want  to share a few characteristics of community life that are transformational for people who are open to taking a long look at themselves and dare to ask how we treat the world and people who are not like us.

Reflecting on my experiences a couple of decades later, various themes emerged as I began to critically examine the notion of human dignity from the lens of a believer, social scientist, and social justice advocate. In this article, I will share some of the themes and experiences that influenced me over the years. I will also address the questions that I am challenged with and that still influence my choices and leadership practices, that involve humans from all walks of life, particularly people facing disparities and living on the margins of our societies. The key questions we will reflect on are: What do we mean by human dignity, and can we find examples in the teachings of Christ? How does a community like L’Arche provide us with tools to assess our own views and assumptions of human dignity? What can we learn from the L’Arche example, and how do we apply our learning in our everyday lives?

Two accidental sublime discoveries shaped different periods of my life: my time in the communities of L’Arche and my discovery of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). At L’Arche, I encountered people with intellectual disabilities for the first time. Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with this aspect of life and had never met anyone with disabilities. To say it was a shock is an understatement. However, once I realized that there was no turning back, life quickly turned into a journey that had me ‘joyriding’ with my new friends. There was a lot of learning and unlearning, and some of it included learning to hold the moments as they defined a new understanding and outlook on life. Other learnings included acknowledging the graces that seeped  through one’s being to embrace the sacredness of life that was unfolding in front of them. The first few years provided a lens through which to understand the world from the perspective of people who were often rejected and excluded from participating in community. Many were denied of existence. I realized then why I had never met a person with disabilities and why no one ever talked about people with disabilities.

One question I had during those early years was why, if we are all made in the image of God, are some accepted and considered ‘normal’ while others are rejected and deemed unfit? It seemed contradictory to Genesis 1:27, the very first book of the Bible: So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

L’Arche offers the gift of discovering a way of life within a community where genuine relationships of mutual care and respect are nurtured. Through early friendships in the community, I was able to experience the unique gifts of individuals and came to truly understand the meaning of the word ‘created in the image of God.’ The life of and relationships in the community become an instrument for understanding why the majority of the world misses the opportunity to experience the riches of diverse gifts of some people, especially if they lack a high transactional value. Life in the community offers an antithesis to what it means to be successful. It reveals the beauty of life and people in the most mundane things, living and owning life as a celebration, and at times, causing big chaos, but always knowing and accepting life as sacred and worthy of being lived and celebrated with all of its vulnerabilities and strengths. The most important lesson here for me was that the gift of people is revealed to us when we accept them for who they are and for their capacity to help us transform into better humans. These experiences led me to understand the Beatitudes (Matthew, 5:1-12) and the Gospel’s core teachings, which challenge us and offer clear guidance for a life of righteousness, grace, and compassion.

The core principle of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is upholding human dignity, and L’Arche embodies this fundamental truth. When I discovered CST, I saw how its teachings are naturally applied at L’Arche. This is how life is at L’Arche.  L’Arche offers four key lessons about human dignity as articulated in CST: the right to life and relationships, the sanctity of every person, the opportunity to participate in community and work within one’s ability, and access to dignified care. For example, meaningful participation is ensured by having the opportunity to work with your hands. Life is organised in the community, with opportunities to create, learn, and produce together and sometimes earn a small wage for spending or keeping in the bank. For some community members, having the opportunity to work in or outside the community and earn a salary is significant as it allows them to contribute to the community and add value. I remember Peter, a retired worker from one of the communities where I lived, saying, ‘Having the opportunity to work gives me respect, and I have something to look forward to when I get up in the morning; I don’t want to be stuck in my room all day, and that is not fair for anyone.’

Of course, this isn’t an option for everyone. Adam, who is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair, found working outside the community challenging.

However, he enjoyed being the greeter and helping in the candle-making workshop or gardening with assistance. There is always something for people to participate in, which I believe is essential to living and upholding the dignity of each individual in the most real way.

Reflecting on my years living and working with people at L’Arche, I can attest that we all carry immense power and potential to transform the world into a better place. No one is less than the other as we are all created in the image of God. When we deny the chance of the other to fully live, we deny ourselves an opportunity to encounter the mystery and gift of life that each person has to offer. Treating one another with dignity and respect is imperative, and that starts with us; if we don’t practise and demonstrate these values in our daily interactions — like how we respond to someone seeking help at our door or to those who demand lots of our time and attention within our vicinity — we remind ourselves and others of what we genuinely value and prioritise. Beyond our homes, how we conduct our work and interact with others, especially those we lead or who differ from us in values, reveals whether we truly uphold dignity as a core value. In our communities and cities, our responses to those who are displaced or struggling with poverty or addiction reflect our collective commitment to human dignity. On a broader scale, we can assess our social systems by examining how well they ensure access to education, clean water, healthcare, housing, and essential services. When these needs are met, we can affirm that human dignity is a guiding priority in our society.

Pope John XXIII, in his encyclical Pacem in Terris, emphasised respecting the rights of every person as essential for peace. A deeper look at the root cause of all chaos, wars, and calamities around the world reveals that it all began from the breakdown or absence of respect for human dignity. When we learn to treat each other with dignity despite our differences in abilities, strengths, values, and socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, we will begin to see humans as sacred gifts. The absence of dignity and respect leads to the absence of love, peace, and joy. We all have the power to be a source of hope and change and to be a true instrument designed to respond to the call of the Gospel – to love and to be loved so all can live in harmony, and the brokenness of the world can be healed.

References:

i L’Arche: We are people with and without intellectual disabilities, sharing life in communities belonging to an International Federation. Mutual relationships and trust in God are at the heart of our journey together. We celebrate the unique value of every person and recognise our need of one another. https://www.larche.org/about-larche/

ii Human Dignity: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_one/chapter_one.html

Article credit: Kairos Global, September 2024- A Catholic magazine for youth and young families published by Jesus Youth, an International Catholic Movement approved by the Holy See.