5
of perfection” of the creature. 11 Vatican II describes man as the “center and crown” of creation; 12
therefore, man reflects the divine glory with the greatest degree of perfection of all created
beings, made as he is in the image and likeness of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
repeats the words of St. John Chrysostom in expounding on this mystery: “What is it that is
about to be created, that enjoys such honor? It is man—that great and wonderful living creature,
more precious in the eye of God than all other creatures!” 13 It is to, through, and in man that God
communicates the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, a communion of love and life.
11
John Paul II, “Creation Reveals God’s Glory,” Inters.org, March 12, 1986, para. 12, accessed May 27,
2018, http://inters.org/John-Paul-II-Catechesis-Creation-Glory.
12
Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes [On the Church in the Modern World], Vatican.va, December
7, 1965, sec. 12, accessed May 27, 2018,
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-
spes_en.html.
13
CCC, 358.