Act of Faith O my God, relying on thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

Lesson Two: Man – Made in God’s image

Body and Soul Material World Spiritual World

Body and Soul Each of us is a union of body and soul. Death is the separation of the soul from the body. The soul *can* exist apart from the body, but its natural condition is to be united to the body. The soul possesses the two special powers of intellect and free will. Intellect is the power to understand and is a function of the rational soul. Free will is the ability to choose and is also a function of the rational soul. At the time of the Second Coming, will we have our physical bodies reunited with us in heaven? Class Poll:

Physical Resurrection In Catholicism, we believe our souls and bodies will be reunited at the time of the Second Coming. The Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, and the Assumption of Mary, anticipate this. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19: But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty [too] is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.

After death At the time of death, the soul is separated from the body, and immediately goes to 1) Heaven 2) Purgatory (then Heaven) 3) Hell. The body undergoes decay after death, and all souls are reunited with their bodies at the time of the Second Coming and Final Judgment.

Sanctity/Dignity vs. Quality All of us are created with equal dignity. It doesn’t mean that we have the same talents, strengths, intellect, etc. But it DOES mean that we all have the same dignity and rights from God, no matter our race, religion, class, health, age, size, etc. Sometimes people act like our dignity is equivalent to the quality of our lives. If understood that way, dignity is something that we can have taken away. Sometimes people base the right to life on the quality of life rather than on the sanctity/dignity of life. This underlies many of the arguments made in favor of abortion and euthanasia.

Knowing Ourselves through Reason Activity Book, P. 2 Knowing Ourselves through Reason 1) How can we learn about ourselves through reason? – We can learn about ourselves through reason by examining ourselves, our desires, and our actions. 2) How are we like animals? - We are like animals in that we have bodies. 3) How are we greater than animals? – We are greater than animals because we are intelligent and free. 4) What does our body enable us to do? – Answers will vary: walk, see, etc. 5) What does our soul enable us to do? – Our soul enables us to understand and choose.

Homework No homework

Act of Faith O my God, relying on thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.