For whoever would draw near to God
must believe that he exists and that
he rewards those who seek him.

— Hebrews 11:6

Either before you arrive or as you wait for class to begin, find this short passage from Sacred Scripture in your Bible or through an online search. Reading it will prepare you for this week’s material.

—Wisdom 13:1–9

O God, Creator of heaven and earth and Author of all beauty, fill us with wonder at your creation. Through the greatness and beauty of created things, may we be led to seek and desire you, their Creator. Amen.

As you watch the video lesson, refer to these key highlights. Feel free to use the space provided to take notes.

• Any study of the Catholic faith begins with knowing that God exists.

• Faith and reason are two gifts God gave us to know that he exists.

• It is possible for human reason to discover God.

• We look at the world and realize there must be some cause for everything.

• Despite the power of human reason, there are many other things God wants to show us that we could never find on our own.

• Though many in contemporary culture have abandoned belief in God, a desire for God is written into the fabric of our being.

Wisdom of the Saints

Human beings have an innate desire to move from effects to causes and this desire does not rest until it arrives at the first cause, which is God.

— St. Thomas Aquinas

Take a moment to go through these questions with the group. For larger classes, divide them up into partners. Answers are provided to assist you in leading discussion.

1. What do you think are the main obstacles that keep people from believing in God?
   People object that if God were all powerful and good, he would not let bad things happen (see CCC 309). Also, many people think that modern science explains everything about human existence, and so God is not necessary. Many people also persuade themselves that God does not exist in order to avoid changing their lives (see CCC 37).

2. Explain what St. Thomas meant when he argued that we can learn things about God by looking at the things he has created.
   Nothing happens without a cause. The world we see must have been caused by something. We can reason from the existence of different effects we see in the world to God who is the cause of all things. We can also see that the world contains things that are good and beautiful, living and intelligent. If he created things with these perfections, God must also have these perfections, albeit in a far greater way (see CCC 32).

3. How is God like an artist? How is he different than an artist?
   God is like an artist because he leaves his mark in the things he has created. The most important “mark” that God leaves in things is that they exist. God is different from human artists because he creates out of nothing, whereas human artists always need some material on which to work (see CCC 296).

4. Which is more “normal” or “natural”: to believe or not believe in God?
   It is more natural to believe that God exists even if large numbers of people do not believe he exists. Popular opinion is not always true. Since God has given us some basic capacity to know him, knowledge of him does not come to us as something foreign or unnatural (see CCC 36).

Catechism Connection

All creatures bear a certain resemblance to God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. The manifold perfections of creatures—their truth, their goodness, their beauty—all reflect the infinite perfection of God.

—CCC 41

Discuss these questions with the group, pair them with a partner, or ask them to meditate on their own.

1. What were some of the earliest memories you have of thinking about God?

2. Have you ever been challenged to think about whether you really believe in God? What was the cause? Explain how you reacted.

3. Have you ever been struck by the beauty of creation and led to think about God?

After concluding your group discussion, return to watch the second video where converts to the Catholic faith discuss their conversion and how they live today as Catholics.

Rome to Home

The same Holy mother Church holds and teaches that God, the source and end of all things, can be known with certainty from the consideration of created things, by the natural power of human reason.

— Pope Pius IX, Dei Filius, ch. 2, par. 1

Human Reason: The intellectual capacity of human beings. For the Catholic vision of the human person, human reason is a natural gift from God that he gave to us so we could know the truth.

Philosophy: The systematic use of human reason in order to discover truths about the world.

Atheism: The position that holds God does not exist.

Agnosticism: The position that holds God may or may not exist and that certainty is not available. The agnostic person does not claim faith or disbelief.

Creation Out of Nothing (Ex Nihilo): The way in which God creates; that is, without any pre-existing material. God’s act of creation brings things into existence from nothing.

God’s Word

And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your poets have said, “For we are indeed his offspring.”

— Acts 17:26–28

Leader: Our Help is in the name of the Lord.
Response: Who made heaven and earth.
All make the sign of the cross.

This serves as a review of the material that your students can read after each class, but it may be helpful for you to read as well. Consider reading it before each class to better prepare you for group discussion.

Discovering the Creator
We must begin with God. The Catholic faith is first and foremost about God. He has created us, and he invites us to share in his life, and so we must begin with him. Acknowledging God’s existence is utterly foundational for our relationship with him; “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb 11:6).

Unfortunately, we live in an increasingly agnostic and atheistic culture. Many people operate under the presumption that God does not exist and conclude that discussion of him ought to be confined to Church groups and private religious practices. Others reject God outright for more theoretical reasons, such as the presence of evil in the world or because they think that modern science has made the idea of God obsolete. Since we live in this environment, we need to answer some basic questions about God before we delve into the Catholic faith.

Today, those who believe in God seem to be up against a mountain of objections. How can you believe in something you have never seen or felt? How can you be certain about something so mysterious and disputed? But God does exist. And in the face of all of these objections, the Catholic Church maintains knowledge of God is available to all human beings.

People from all times and places and in every culture have the basic capacity to know that God exists. This capacity ensures that when we do discover God or learn about him, he is not a complete stranger to us but a welcomed guest, someone we were almost expecting. Since God made us, in a way, he could not help but write within our hearts a deep, hidden desire for himself, something that can only be satisfied by knowing him.

Typically, people assume that talking about God is a matter of faith. It is true that faith reveals much to us, and we will be talking about this at great length. However, through human reason, we can know some very basic things about God, most importantly, that he exists.

Philosophers throughout the centuries have offered proofs for God’s existence. Among the most famous are those offered by St. Thomas Aquinas. Thousands and thousands of pages have been written about his proofs and how to understand their philosophical sophistication. While not everyone will be able to understand his work, everyone can understand his basic point, which is this: by looking at the things God has done, we look at the world and we see that something exists rather than nothing. Just looking out our bedroom window we may see all sorts of things: rocks and grass, trees and dogs, clouds and birds. We also see other people and can even reflect upon ourselves and the little universe within, our “inner self.” Sometimes we have the privilege to gaze on beautiful and mind-blowing things like mountains and oceans and stars. There must be something greater than all these things, something more powerful and intelligent than all of us.

Think of an artist and the pieces of art he creates. Even the greatest pieces of art are not as impressive as the thinking and feeling human beings who made them. No matter how beautiful you think the Mona Lisa is, you know that Da Vinci himself was far more impressive. Likewise, Michelangelo had a much greater dignity than the colossal statue of David he sculpted.

In a similar way, we can reason that God is greater than his works. He is the very “author of beauty,” the creator of the beautiful things of this world (Ws 13:3). God surpasses his creation infinitely more than an artist surpasses his works. Artists always begin with some material such as canvas, paint, or stone, but God creates out of nothing (ex nihilo). With his almighty power, he “calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Rom 4:17). Every artist leaves his mark, and God’s mark is most basic. He has given things existence; he is the one who exists in the fullest sense. As he put it to Moses, “I ^AM WHO I ^AM” (Ex 3:14). The works of God are not mere static figures. From this we know God does not exist as a static or impersonal force but is personal and living and intelligent. He is preeminent and superabundant life who “gives to all men life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25).

Not everyone can be expected to reason his or her way to God’s existence. It takes study and reflection and a lot of time that most people do not have. Many, if not most, Christians rely on faith to believe that God exists. When it comes to God, processes of reasoning are not enough. He has so much more to tell us about himself than even the most brilliant minds could ever reach on their own. For this reason, he has revealed himself and he gives us the supernatural virtue of faith. This is what we will discuss in the next chapter.

Emonet, Pierre Marie. God Seen in the Mirror of the World: An Introduction to the Philosophy of God. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2000.

Feser, Edward. Aquinas: A Beginner’s Guide. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2009.