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Los miserables y el problema de la dignidad frente a la muerte

 



Si aliquid prodest impio sepultura pretiosa, oberit pio vilis aut nulla. Praeclaras exsequias in conspectu hominum exhibuit purpurato illi diviti turba famulorum, sed multo clariores in conspectu Domini ulceroso illi pauperi ministerium praebuit angelorum, qui eum non extulerunt in marmoreum tumulum, sed in Abrahae gremium sustulerunt [1]

"Si un entierro costoso beneficiara a los malvados, entonces un entierro sencillo o incluso ninguno dañaría al devoto. A los ojos de los hombres, la multitud de sirvientes rindió un funeral glorioso a ese hombre rico vestido de púrpura; pero mucho más glorioso, a los ojos del Señor, fue el servicio de los ángeles al pobre ulcerado, a quien no pusieron en una tumba de mármol, sino que llevaron al seno de Abraham."

Este pasaje de San Agustín ilustra cómo el cristianismo busca exaltar la humildad y dar valor a aquellos que el mundo considera insignificantes. Aquí, el verdadero honor no está en los rituales externos, sino en el reconocimiento divino. La dignidad, desde esta perspectiva, no reside en la riqueza o los lujos, sino en la condición interior de la persona.

Como señala Tom Holland, un autor contemporáneo que ha estudiado a fondo el cristianismo, uno de los mayores logros de esta religión fue otorgar dignidad a quienes carecían de ella a los ojos del mundo. San Agustín refuerza esta idea al hablar de la muerte, mostrando que la verdadera grandeza recae en los humildes, quienes serán reconocidos de una manera aún más profunda y duradera en la vida eterna. Así, frente a la muerte, el cristianismo proclama una dignidad que no depende del estatus social, sino de la pureza y el valor del alma.

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[1] De Civitate Dei I, 12.1

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