Even though modern man stumbles throughout life, latching onto one desire after another in a pursuit with an unknown destination, from the depths of his being he sighs for a true communion. The moral life and the ontological uniqueness of man cannot simply be reduced to a mere deliberation between prudential self-interest, but must refer to the very relational nature that constitutes his being. The men and women one passes on the street have to be recognised as existing as images of God, not as loose arbitrary bundles of social interactions and ephemeral connections to serve some economic or convenient purpose.
For a true union to be actualised, an ekstasis must occur when the 'same' reaches out and embraces the other as a unique and unrepeatable person, upon which no value can be placed. As soon as a price is placed upon your neighbour as a tag, a definition and an objectification occurs. This attitude results in a relativisation of man who may be manipulated and exploited to serve a higher goal, or to reap a harvest of perishable goods. The human person is unable to be saved through such behaviour. God came to redeem personally, and the ascent to God only develops through a personal approach which is constituted by freedom and love. The Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, 'the bond of peace' unites man in the one Church, which is nothing other than the redeemed human race in union with our Mediator and High Priest through charity, and any attempt to cultivate growth outwith of this vine is doomed to fail.
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