When I was studying philosophy as a seminarian in the mid-1950s, the definition of the human person that we used in all classes was “an individual substance of a rational nature.” The definition expressed the uniqueness and individuality of each person. I do not recall ever thinking that the definition might be changed or expanded in order to stress the relational nature of each person. While teaching philosophy for several years, I eventually chose a description that I think correctly emphasizes the relational nature of the human person.

The following are some examples of how the relational nature of the human person might be expressed: To be a human person is to be that type of being who is open to others, or to be a human person is to be that type of being who is in dialogue with others, or to be a human person is to be that type of being who is present to others; or to be a human person is to be that type of being who is in relation to others.

I realize that all of these expressions can seem to be awkward, but they are an attempt to articulate what is unique about the human person. I am trying to state accurately part of what it means to be a human person. All of the expressions are true because of the nature of human consciousness. Human consciousness is always consciousness of. It is impossible just to be conscious. It cannot be done. There is always some object of consciousness.

Each of the descriptions of the human person that I have presented is an attempt to capture what is distinct about the human person. None of these descriptions apply to any other being in our experience. Because of the relational nature of human consciousness, human persons are radically relational. A person cannot decide not to be relational. Being relational is the way that God made us. However, we can decide how we will relate. We can relate in a selfish way or in a loving way, in an angry way or in a peaceful way, in a distracted way or in an attentive way.

Writing this series of columns has moved me to examine both my consciousness and my conscience. How do I relate to God? Am I the cause of the distraction I frequently experience in prayer? Is there something that I can change in my prayer life that will allow God to enter more deeply into my life? Am I taking my prayer life as seriously as I should? How do I relate to students I teach at St. John’s University? Am I open and welcoming in my approach to the students? Do I jump to conclusions about students without much evidence? How do I relate to the retired priests with whom I live at Bishop Mugavero Residence in Douglaston? How do I relate to political figures? How do I relate to the books I read, and what criteria do I use in selecting my reading? How deeply do I believe that how I relate will greatly influence the type of person I become? Am I a compassionate person? Even as I write that question, I thought of how frequently I am lacking in compassion.

In his book “Altogether Gift,” Michael Downey has written the following:

“Compassion may be understood as the capacity to be attracted and moved by the fragility, weakness, and suffering of another. It is the ability to be vulnerable enough to undergo risk and loss for the good of another. Compassion involves a movement toward the other to be of assistance. But it also entails a movement of participation in the experience of the other in order to be present and in solidarity and communion.

“Compassion requires sensitivity to what is weak and wounded as well as the vulnerability to be affected by the pain of the other. It also demands action to alleviate pain and suffering. One’s deepest inner feelings of compassion are to find expression in acts of compassion, mercy and kindness. … In the New Testament, Jesus embodies God’s compassion in his preaching and healing; in his concern for lost humanity; and in his self-sacrificial love on the cross. The followers of Jesus are to live lives of compassion imperiled by the Spirit, the Breath of God” (pp. 29-30).

We do not create ourselves from nothing. God does that. However, how we relate enormously influences who we become. I have no idea how much this series of columns has influenced readers, but I do know that reflecting on human presence has moved me to make some good resolutions about how I relate to people.

Now I hope I will translate those resolutions into action.

Father Lauder is a philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica. His new book, “The Cosmic Love Story: God and Us,” is available on Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble.