Seeing the Sacred in Everyone –
There’s an old story that says each of us moves through the world with an unseen procession, as if voices go before us whispering, “Make way—someone sacred is passing.” As if every person carried a quiet kind of royalty within them.
And still, over and over, that sacredness is ignored, pushed down, stripped away—people diminished, confined, broken, even killed in plain sight.
How do we keep failing to hear those voices? How do we miss the call to recognise what stands right in front of us—the simple, unshakable dignity of another human life?
Recognising Sacred Worth
At the heart of a spiritual life is something both simple and hard to live out: really seeing the worth in every person, and knowing it’s something no one can take away. It’s more than just a pleasant idea—it’s supposed to be at the centre of how we actually live and what we believe.
Building a World Shaped by Dignity
So what would it actually look like to build a world shaped by that truth? How would we treat the people closest to us—our neighbours, the ones we work beside—or the person curled up behind a dumpster, wrapped in worn blankets, with nowhere else to go?
It would push us to rethink the way our schools, workplaces, and communities are shaped. It would ripple outward, reshaping health care, education, and even the policies that guide public life. And what about our systems of law and justice—what would change if people were seen first for their humanity, instead of being judged by the colour of their skin or the size of their bank account, rather than by whether they are truly guilty or innocent?
The Story of Brian
A friend once shared a story their pastor told. Imagine you’re walking through downtown Vancouver, or Toronto, or Montreal, when suddenly a neglected man comes running down the sidewalk, shouting and swearing. What do you do? Most of us would probably hurry across the street and avoid him. Something’s wrong with that guy, we tell ourselves.
Now picture something different. You live in a small town. You’re out for a walk when a neglected man runs past you, yelling and out of control. But this time, you recognise him. It’s Brian. And you know that not long ago, something in his life broke him—something heavy and painful that he hasn’t been able to carry. What do you do then?
“Brian,” you say gently, “come with me. Let’s get you something to eat and somewhere safe to rest.”
What would it take for us to stop seeing “some stranger who’s not well” and instead see Brian—someone we know, someone who belongs, someone who carries a kind of sacred worth?
Imagining a Different World
The real challenge is learning to imagine a different kind of world. One where we stand up for each other’s dignity. One where we teach ourselves to notice the people others pass by or ignore. A world where we understand that we’re all connected somehow, each of us carrying that same quiet spark within. And maybe the hardest, most meaningful thing we can do is simply refuse to look away.
