The Divine Architect

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky ( bio - articles - email ) | Oct 26, 2026

Jesus teaches us that love of God and neighbor summarizes the Law and the teaching of the Prophets. But loving God presupposes belief in His existence. God reveals Himself in creation, history, human dignity, the splendor of His moral law, and human goodness.

God Reveals Himself in Creation

St. Thomas Aquinas offers five arguments for the existence of God. Here they are in simplified form.

First, why do things move and change? Whatever moves or changes depends on something else. Ultimately, all things depend on an Unmoved Mover: God.

Second, what causes things to exist? Our parents gave us life, as their parents did before them. So it is with all reality: ultimately, we depend on a First Cause that depends on no other cause: God.

Third, why do things come into existence only to pass away? We are dust, and unto dust we shall return. Our existence is not self-sufficient. We depend on a Necessary Being whose existence depends on nothing else: God.

Fourth, why do we recognize degrees of goodness, truth, and perfection? They point toward a Being who possesses the Fullness of Perfection: God.

Fifth, why is creation ordered, with things directed toward particular ends? The world does not merely exist; its order and purpose point toward a Governing Intelligence: God.

God Reveals Himself in History

God reveals Himself to us. “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power.” (Hebrews 1:1–3)

In the fullness of time, God reveals Himself through His Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church, founded on St. Peter and the Apostles and born at Pentecost, faithfully hands down Christ’s teaching in every generation. The Creed summarizes God’s self-revelation in history.

God Reveals Himself in Human Dignity

We look inward to see God’s handiwork. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Even after the Fall, we retain the capacity to delight in our existence as God’s creatures:

For thou…didst knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! (Psalm 139:13–14)

Through grateful reflection, prayer, study, and introspection, we learn by God’s grace to love Him, the foundation of human love.

The Sacraments sanctify us, strengthen us in grace, and sustain the Church and Christian life. Baptism incorporates us into the Mystical Body of Christ; Confirmation strengthens us through the Holy Spirit; and the Blessed Eucharist nourishes our communion with Christ. The Sacrament of Holy Orders serves the Church through ordained ministry, while the Sacrament of Matrimony sanctifies the union of husband and wife and strengthens family life.

God Reveals Himself in the Splendor of His Moral Law

Jesus teaches us to love. “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21) The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ and guardian of the true faith, teaches us to live according to His commandments.

The beauty and integrity of Catholic moral teaching offer compelling witness to God’s goodness. Imagine a world where everyone loves and worships God, honors parents and elders, rejects hatred and vengeance, refuses to murder, lives chastely, remains faithful in marriage, respects private property, and always speaks honestly. Such virtue, elevated by God’s grace, would be the crown jewel of creation. The Church’s vision of heaven reveals the splendor of God’s moral plan and offers further grounds for believing in His existence.

But we are wounded by sin and fall short. Hatred, irreverence, unchastity, marital infidelity, theft, and dishonesty continue to wound individuals and societies (as do pornography, contraception, perversions, mutilations, abortion, and IVF). Yet human failure does not invalidate the goodness of God’s moral order. Rather, it reminds us of our need for a Savior and Redeemer. Through Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice, God restores us and sets us on the path to salvation.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks out His lost sheep and stirs consciences. The Sacrament of Penance heals our wounded souls and restores us to the life of grace. The Anointing of the Sick strengthens us in serious illness and prepares us for death.

God Reveals Himself in Human Goodness

Need further reason to believe in God? Consider the order of creation, the dignity of the human person, the integrity of God’s moral law, and the many expressions of human virtue. By God’s grace, we become His instruments in the world, bearing witness to His goodness.

God wants us to know Him and proclaim His Divine Law through lives of virtue:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another… And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12–14)

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)

God refuses to force Himself upon us. He desires that we seek Him freely and proclaim His goodness through our lives. A loving God reigns supreme. But do our lives radiate His goodness?