Compendium Series: Why is man and woman created in God''s image

Welcome to My Compendium for 2012. 

Do you every wonder especially when life seems more challenging, what God's plan for you and for me is?  In this series, I encourage you to learn and soak in to your spirit what God's plan is as stated by the Compendium of the Catholic Church 

When I started this series, my desire was to become more familiar with my faith so that I felt comfortable in not only knowing my faith, but being able to speak the truth of the faith confidently. To personalise the compendium of the Catholic Church, I followed these steps during the week:

• learnt the answer to the question by rote.
• inserted my name into these questions. 
• wrote my own answer to the question in a simpler form without losing its integrity or meaning.
• reflected on 'what it means for me".
• reflected on 'Questions to consider'.
• Devised an action for each day to integrate this truth of faith into my life.
• Use the compendium series to shine on areas of my life which need repentance and use it for preparation for the sacrament of reconciliation.

If you have not visited this series before, you may wish to start the journey this year. If you started the journey and faded along the way, you may wish to revisit this series and restart the journey, or if you have stayed on the journey, you may wish to continue the journey during 2012.

You may consider one question per week is not sufficient. I find it sufficent and able to done  by the above mentioned steps.  If you wish to proceed at a faster pace, decide on your plan of action that is most appropriate to you.

So let us now start, restart or continue the journey for 2012. 

66. In what sense do we understand man and woman is created in the image of God? (CCC355-357)

Compendium states:

The human person is created in the image of God in the sense that he or she is capable of knowing and loving their Creator in freedom.  Human beings are the only creatures on earth that God has willed for their own sake and has called share, through knowledge and love, in his own divine life.  All human beings, in as much as they are created in the image of God have the dignity of a person.  A person is not something but someone capable of self knowledge and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with God with other persons.

What does this mean for me?

1. I praise and thank God for allowing me to be created in his own image, for calling me to share, through knowledge and love, his own divine life and giving me a dignity, self knowledge and freedom to enter into communion with You and with other people.
2. I am able affirm myself in the following ways:

1. I am created in the image and likeness of God.
2. I am capable of knowing and loving God my creator in freedom.
3. I am able to share God’s divine life through knowledge and love.
4. I have a dignity of personhood as I am created in the image of God.
5. I am capable of self knowledge and of freely giving myself to God and other people.
6. I am capable of entering into communion with God and other people.

Questions to consider:

1. What do I do to enhance self knowledge rooted in God?
2. How am I entering into communion with God each day?
3. How do I enter into communion with other people?
4. How am I enhancing knowledge of love in order to share more fully his divine life in my life?
5. What blockages are there in my life which stops me from knowing and loving God my Creator in freedom?

 May you appreciate this coming week your dignity in God.