“The modern world is a difficult place in which to find the self, if, for no other reason, than its own fascination with what it describes as the self. The creation of an identity is among the many modern projects – it has become an object of our consumption. We not only “pick” an identity, we tend to “accessorize” as well.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“We recognize that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14)—completely unique and incomparable to any other human being. And for this reason, we don’t waste our time judging or comparing ourselves to others—it is futile and delusional…Vanity is man’s attempt to piece together an identity apart from God.” (Kevin Scherer)
“The concept of groping blindly for God is not difficult to understand in our so-called ‘post-Christian’ era. To experience even minimally a longing to know God is to be human. Even those of us who may be ignorant of revealed truth sense that such truth exists. The problem arises when our humanity – our being human – is vitiated by idolatry. When we individually or collectively give ourselves “wholly to idolatry” whether in the worship of power, pleasure, wealth, or even of ourselves, we allow the dignifying imago dei within us – the very identity that makes us human – to be corrupted. However, even in our corrupted and dehumanized state we are always able, as St. Paul says, to “grope for” and find God.” (Dana Robinson)
“America has a pervading reverence for individuality and autonomy. We often link our identity with our ability to act, that is, to teach, engineer, philosophize, or even parent. Many of us could say, “I accomplish, therefore I am.”… The Church Fathers, however, had a very different perspective. Two central understandings of human nature run throughout their teachings. First, they define personhood in terms of relationship — to be a person is to be dialogic. Second, they insist on a psychosomatic union — that is, that the body and soul share an inseparable unity…Human nature is dialogic. Deep down, each of us yearns to be in dialogue, in communion, with God and one another…each of us has an innate drive and propensity to reach out beyond ‘self’ towards the ‘other.’” (Peter Kavanaugh)
“Reminding people of our common life—that we are neighbors first—is a task of culture care. We acknowledge openly the borders of our groups and acknowledge too the legitimate things that divide us. Our responsibility, then, is to rehumanize this divide. An emphasis on our role as neighbor as part of our identity begins this process by reminding us of our shared cultural and geographical spaces and the fact that proximity brings responsibility. Even apart from Jesus’ call to love our neighbor, we know that our common flourishing depends on each other.” (Makoto Fujimura)
“All of us yearn for an identity, to know who we are at the core of our being, to be secure in who we are, and to be known for who we really are…Amazingly, God often chooses to reveal who we are in the midst of suffering. This may come as a shock to us; after all, desert experiences are probably the last places we’d think to look in order to discover our God-given identities. Indeed, it seems incredibly strange that God would reveal our identities and his own in the crucible of pain. But He does. God uses our identity crises to reveal who we are and who He is.” (Marlena Graves)
“The fact is, everyone suffers from an identity crisis—it’s our broken inheritance from Adam and Eve…The experiences of despair and futility lead a person to question his identity, self-worth, and significance. In the Garden, man’s identity is informed and secured by God’s goodness and love. But outside of the Garden, there is only confusion, and man is at a loss to understand his true calling and direction in life. As a result, over the course of a lifetime, he tries on different identities, looking for something that brings him a sense of security, acceptance, and significance.” (Kevin Scherer)
“If I don’t know God, I don’t know myself, because I am made in God’s image and likeness. I need to know God to know who I am, to have an authentic identity. Much of the contemporary search for identity is a deeper, though often unconscious, seeking for Christ within our hearts.” (Albert S. Rossi)
“We never lose who we are as persons in this growth and union with Christ - just the opposite. We realize more and more of our true selves. It’s the complete reverse of what we see in Scriptures when someone is possessed by a demon and has lost their identity. Union with God, or allowing ourselves to be possessed by Him so to speak, brings nothing but joy, peace, and full realization of who we are and are meant to be in this life.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
“People are not machines, wherein you push a button, and they automatically act one way and think one way. People are individuals with a unique personal identity, never to be seen again anywhere, at any time in the history of the world.” (Bishop John of Amorion)