1. “I AM WHO AM”
— Exodus 3:14
When God revealed Himself to Moses from the burning bush, He first revealed His name.
“I AM WHO AM.”
Unlike every created thing, God simply is. He has no beginning, no end, and no creator. He always was, always is, and always will be. Everything else that exists receives its existence from Him.
If God alone is uncreated, then reality is not made up of only one kind of existence. Christian thought has traditionally understood reality as consisting of three distinct realms.
Catholic thought traditionally distinguishes the supernatural, preternatural, and natural orders. In this essay these are presented as three realms to provide a simple map of reality for the discussions that follow.
2. The Supernatural Realm
The Supernatural Realm belongs to God alone.
God is uncreated. He does not belong to creation or depend upon it. He exists by His own nature and is the source of all that exists.
- Origin: Uncreated
- Description: God alone
- Nature: Divine
3. The Preternatural Realm
The Preternatural Realm is created but exists beyond the material world.
It includes created spiritual beings such as angels and demons, together with spiritual realities that are ordinarily beyond human experience.
- Origin: Created
- Description: Created spiritual realities beyond the natural world
- Nature: Created spirit
4. The Natural Realm
The Natural Realm is the world we ordinarily experience through our senses.
It includes the material universe and all living things. The human person occupies a unique place within this realm because we are both material and spiritual, uniting body and soul in one person.
- Origin: Created
- Description: The material world experienced through our senses
- Nature: Matter, with the human person uniquely uniting matter and spirit
Recognizing these three realms gives us a first map of reality.
The world we can see is real, but it is not all that is real.
As we continue through these Formation essays, we will gradually discover how God, creation, the human person, and our eternal destiny each belong within this ordered reality.
Sources
Sacred Scripture
- Exodus 3:14 (Douay-Rheims)
Catholic Teaching
- Catechism of the Catholic Church §§279–354
Classical Catholic Theology
- Traditional distinction of the supernatural, preternatural, and natural orders.
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Copyright © 2026 Patrick O’Donnell.
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