RCIA Session 16 – Creation — The Visible and Invisible World

Creation — The Visible and Invisible World

RCIA – Session 16
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:

  • creation includes both the material and spiritual orders
  • the world is created good, not evil
  • God is distinct from creation but present to it
  • creation has meaning and purpose
  • belief in creation grounds human dignity §§and moral responsibility

This session asks:

What did God create — and what kind of world is it?

1. Creation Is More Than What We Can See

When the Church speaks of creation, she does not mean only:

  • the physical universe
  • matter and energy
  • what can be measured

She teaches that God created:

All things visible and invisible.

This means:

  • the material world
  • the spiritual world

Reality is richer than what the senses perceive.

Penny Catechism

Q. What did God make?
A. God made all things, visible and invisible.

2. The Visible World Is Truly Created

The visible world:

  • is real
  • is good
  • is dependent on God

Matter is not evil.
The body is not a prison.

The Catholic Faith rejects the idea that:

  • the material world is a mistake
  • salvation means escaping creation

Creation is the setting of God’s plan, not an obstacle to it.

3. The Invisible World: Angels

God also created a spiritual order:

  • beings without bodies
  • endowed with intellect and will

These beings are called angels.

They are:

  • creatures, not gods
  • personal, not symbolic
  • servants of God

Angels show that:

  • intelligence does not require matter
  • reality is not exhausted by the physical

Penny Catechism

Q. Did God make any beings besides men?
A. God made angels, who are pure spirits without bodies.

4. The Goodness of Creation

The Church teaches that:

Everything God created is good.

Evil is not a substance.
It is a lack or corruption of good.

This matters because it means:

  • creation is trustworthy
  • existence is not a curse
  • God is not the author of evil

The goodness of creation grounds hope.

5. God Is Present to Creation, but Not Identical with It

God is not distant from creation.
But He is not identical with it either.

God:

  • sustains all things
  • is present to all things

Yet:

  • creation is not divine
  • nature is not God

This avoids two errors:

  • treating the world as meaningless
  • treating the world as divine

Creation is dependent, not divine.

6. Creation Has Order and Purpose

Creation is not chaos.

It shows:

  • order
  • intelligibility
  • purpose

This is why:

  • reason can study the world
  • science is possible
  • moral order makes sense

The world is not random.
It is intelligible because it comes from intelligence.

7. Creation and Human Responsibility

Because creation is good and ordered:

  • it deserves respect
  • it must not be abused
  • it must not be worshipped

Human beings are:

  • part of creation
  • entrusted with responsibility

This responsibility is moral, not absolute.

Creation is a gift, not a possession.

8. Common Difficulties Addressed

“Isn’t belief in creation opposed to science?”

Creation explains why things exist, not how processes occur.

“Are angels symbolic?”

The Church teaches angels are real spiritual creatures.

“Why create a world that can suffer?”

Creation allows freedom.
Freedom allows love — and the possibility of misuse.

9. What Is Being Asked of You Now

At this stage, you are not asked to:

  • understand every mystery
  • explain all suffering

You are asked to consider this:

If creation is good and purposeful, how should I live within it?

That question leads directly to the next topic.

10. Questions for the Week

Reflect quietly during the week:

  • Do I see the world as gift or accident?
  • Do I treat creation with reverence or indifference?
  • What does a created spiritual world imply about reality?

11. Closing Summary

God created all things:

  • visible and invisible
  • material and spiritual

Creation is good.
Creation is ordered.
Creation is meaningful.

Next week we will ask:

What is the human person — and why is humanity unique within creation?

Optional Closing Prayer

Creator of heaven and earth,
You have made all things in wisdom and goodness.
Give us reverence for Your creation
and humility to live rightly within it.
Amen.