GROW IN FAITH: YOUTH – What Is the Human Person?

Body, Soul, and Dignity

Opening Prayer

Lord,
You created me deliberately.
Help me understand who I am
according to truth
and not according to confusion.
Amen.

Part One

Created, Not Accidental

The Church teaches that the human person is:

Created by God.

Made in His image.

Body and soul united.

This means you are not an accident.

You are not merely the result of blind forces.

You are not only biological matter.

If God exists and is Creator,
then human life has intention.

Dignity does not come from ability, popularity, or achievement.

It comes from being created in God’s image.

Every human person —
strong or weak,
young or old —
possesses equal dignity.

Pause and Reflect

Do I measure human worth by success or usefulness?

Do I believe my life has meaning beyond biology?

Part Two

Body and Soul

The Church rejects two extremes:

First:
That we are only bodies.

Second:
That we are souls trapped in bodies.

We are a unity.

The body is not a costume.
It is not a shell.
It is part of who you are.

The soul is not a ghost inside a machine.

It is the spiritual principle that gives life and reason.

This unity matters.

If the body is part of the person,
then it has meaning.

It cannot be treated as raw material for self-definition.

Your physical reality is not separate from your identity.

It expresses it.

Consider

If the body is meaningless,
why protect it?

If the body is part of the person,
can identity contradict it?

Part Three

Freedom and Nature

Modern culture often suggests:

“You can define yourself.”

But consider:

If you invent yourself entirely,
on what basis do you decide what is true?

Freedom does not create nature.

Freedom operates within nature.

You did not choose:

To be human rather than an animal.

To require food and sleep.

To exist in time.

Reality precedes choice.

Freedom is meaningful
only when it engages with what is real.

The Church teaches that human flourishing
comes from living in accordance with truth.

When identity is detached from reality,
confusion increases.

Reflect Honestly

Do I see limits as restrictions
or as part of reality?

Have I absorbed ideas about self-definition
without examining them?

Part Four

Dignity and Destiny

Because the human person has a soul,
life does not end at death.

Because the person is created by God,
life has purpose.

Because the body is part of the person,
what we do physically matters.

Because we are rational,
truth matters.

Because we are free,
choice matters.

Human dignity is not fragile opinion.

It is grounded in creation.

This is why:

Exploitation is wrong.

Dehumanisation is wrong.

Reducing people to objects is wrong.

Not because society voted so,
but because the human person has inherent worth.

If this foundation collapses,
moral protection collapses with it.

Quiet Reflection

Sit quietly.

Consider this:

You are not random.
You are not self-created.
You are willed into existence.

What does that imply about how you treat yourself?
And others?

Remain in silence.

This Week

Choose one:

• Reflect on what it means to be created in God’s image.
• Notice how society speaks about the body and identity.
• Read Genesis 1 carefully.
• Pray simply: “Lord, help me see who I truly am.”

Closing Prayer

Lord,
You created me body and soul.
Guard me from confusion.
Help me live according to truth
and honour the dignity You have given.
Amen.