RCIA Session 17 – The Human Person — Created in the Image of God

The Human Person — Created in the Image of God

RCIA – Session 17
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:

  • the human person is unique within creation
  • humanity is both bodily and spiritual
  • every human being is made in the image of God
  • human dignity does not depend on usefulness or achievement
  • freedom and responsibility are essential to human nature

This session asks:

What is the human person, and why does humanity matter?

1. Humanity Is Unique in Creation

Among all created things, the Church teaches that the human person holds a unique place.

Human beings are not:

  • merely advanced animals
  • accidents of biology
  • replaceable units

Human beings alone are:

  • capable of knowing truth
  • capable of loving freely
  • capable of moral responsibility

This uniqueness is not earned.
It is given.

Penny Catechism

Q. What is man?
A. Man is a creature composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God.

2. Body and Soul Together

The human person is not:

  • a soul trapped in a body
  • a body pretending to think

The human person is:

A unity of body and soul.

The body:

  • is good
  • is part of God’s creation
  • is essential to human identity

The soul:

  • is spiritual
  • is the principle of life
  • gives intellect and free will

This unity matters because:

  • bodily life has dignity
  • spiritual life is real
  • salvation concerns the whole person

3. Created in the Image of God

To be made in the image of God means:

  • we can know truth
  • we can choose freely
  • we can love personally

This image is not:

  • physical resemblance
  • social status
  • intellectual achievement

It belongs to every human being:

  • from conception
  • regardless of age or ability

Human dignity is intrinsic, not assigned.

Penny Catechism

Q. Why did God make man?
A. God made man to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in the next.

This purpose defines human life.

4. Human Freedom

Freedom is not:

  • doing whatever one wants
  • absence of limits

Freedom is:

The ability to choose the good knowingly and willingly.

Freedom makes:

  • love possible
  • obedience meaningful
  • responsibility real

Without freedom:

  • morality collapses
  • praise and blame are meaningless

Freedom is a gift that can be misused.

5. Conscience and Moral Responsibility

Because human beings are rational and free:

  • they are morally responsible
  • their actions matter

Conscience is:

  • the judgment of reason
  • recognising right and wrong

Conscience must be:

  • formed
  • educated
  • aligned with truth

Conscience does not create truth.
It responds to it.

6. Equality and Difference

All human beings share:

  • equal dignity
  • equal worth
  • equal origin

Differences of:

  • role
  • ability
  • circumstance

do not change dignity.

This truth grounds:

  • justice
  • respect for life
  • care for the vulnerable

7. Humanity Ordered to Relationship

The human person is not made for isolation.

Human life is ordered toward:

  • relationship with God
  • relationship with others

Self-giving is not a loss.
It fulfils human nature.

This is why:

  • love matters
  • selfishness destroys
  • community is essential

8. Common Difficulties Addressed

“Isn’t dignity just a social idea?”

Dignity grounded only in society can be removed by society.

“What about those who cannot reason?”

Dignity belongs to nature, not function.

“Is freedom real if God knows everything?”

Knowledge does not cause choice.
Freedom remains real.

9. What Is Being Asked of You Now

At this stage, you are not asked to:

resolve every moral question

live perfectly

You are asked to consider this:

If I am created in God’s image, what does that demand of my life?

That question leads directly to the problem of sin.

10. Questions for the Week

Reflect quietly during the week:

  • Do I see myself as created or accidental?
  • Do I treat my body and soul with equal respect?
  • How do I use my freedom?

11. Closing Summary

The human person is:

  • created by God
  • body and soul
  • made in His image
  • endowed with freedom

Human dignity is not invented.
It is received.

Next week we will ask:

What went wrong — and why does the world not reflect this dignity fully?

Optional Closing Prayer

God our Creator,
You have made us in Your image and likeness.
Give us reverence for every human life,
and wisdom to use our freedom rightly.
Amen.