RCIA Session 15 – God the Creator — What the Church Teaches About God

God the Creator — What the Church Teaches About God

RCIA – Session 15
This session forms part of a structured introduction to the Catholic Faith used in parish RCIA. It is intended to be read slowly and prayerfully, alongside participation in the life of the Church. This material is offered for formation and reflection. Reception into the Catholic Church always involves personal discernment and parish accompaniment.

Aim of this session

By the end of this session, participants should understand that:

  • God is not part of the universe but its Creator
  • God is personal, intelligent, and free
  • creation depends entirely on God
  • belief in God is not vague spirituality
  • the Catholic Faith teaches a precise understanding of who God is

This session begins the Creed by asking:

Who is God, according to the Church?

1. Why We Must Be Precise About God

Many people believe in “something higher” or “some kind of god.”

But the Catholic Faith does not begin with vagueness.

If God exists, then:

  • He has a nature
  • He is either personal or impersonal
  • He either knows us or does not
  • He either creates freely or does not

A vague god cannot ground truth, morality, or hope.

The Church insists on clarity because:

  • error about God leads to error everywhere else
  • worship depends on truth

2. God Is the Creator, Not Part of Creation

God is not:

  • the universe
  • a force within nature
  • the highest being among others

God is:

The Creator of all things, visible and invisible.

Everything that exists:

  • depends on God for its being
  • is held in existence by Him

Creation is not a one-time event only.
It is a continuing dependence.

Penny Catechism

Q. Who made the world?
A. God made the world.

This answer excludes:

  • chance as ultimate cause
  • matter as self-explanatory

3. God Created Freely

God did not create because:

  • He needed the world
  • He lacked something
  • He was compelled

God created freely:

  • out of goodness
  • out of love
  • without necessity

Creation is a gift.

This means:

  • the world is not eternal
  • God is not dependent on creation
  • creation is meaningful, not accidental

Penny Catechism

Q. Why did God make the world?
A. God made the world to show forth His goodness and to make us sharers in His happiness.

4. God Is Personal

God is not an impersonal force.

He:

  • knows
  • wills
  • loves
  • acts

This matters because:

  • prayer makes sense
  • moral responsibility exists
  • relationship with God is possible

A god who does not know cannot love.
A god who does not will cannot command.

The Catholic Faith insists:

God is personal, not abstract.

5. God Is One

The Church teaches:

There is one God.

Not:

many competing gods

layers of divine beings

Unity belongs to God’s nature.

This unity guarantees:

  • coherence of truth
  • stability of morality
  • trustworthiness of revelation

Penny Catechism

Q. Is there only one God?
A. Yes, there is only one God.

6. God Is Eternal and Unchanging

God does not:

  • grow older
  • learn
  • improve
  • decline

God is eternal:

  • outside time
  • not subject to decay

This matters because:

  • His promises do not fail
  • His truth does not change
  • His love is reliable

Creation changes.
God does not.

7. God Is All-Powerful and All-Knowing

God:

  • can do all that is possible
  • knows all things truly

This does not mean:

  • God contradicts Himself
  • God does what is evil

God’s power is ordered by wisdom and goodness.

Penny Catechism

Q. Is God infinitely powerful and wise?
A. Yes, God is infinitely powerful and wise.

8. Common Difficulties Addressed

“Why doesn’t God stop all evil?”

Power does not exclude freedom.
This will be treated more fully later.

“Is God just a projection?”

A projected god would not command obedience or judge truth.

“Is belief in God outdated?”

Truth does not expire.

9. What Is Being Asked of You Now

At this stage, you are not asked to:

  • understand every mystery
  • resolve every difficulty

You are asked to consider this:

If God is the Creator, what does that mean for my life?

That question opens the rest of the Creed.

10. Questions for the Week

Reflect quietly during the week:

  • Do I think of God personally or vaguely?
  • If God created freely, what does that say about my existence?
  • Do I live as though I depend on God?

11. Closing Summary

The Catholic Faith does not begin with feeling.

It begins with truth:

  • God exists
  • God creates
  • God knows
  • God wills

Next week we will ask:

What did God create — and why does creation include the spiritual world?

Optional Closing Prayer

Almighty God,
You are the Creator of all that is.
Give us humility to recognise our dependence on You,
and gratitude for the gift of existence.
Amen.