According to the binding doctrine of the Catholic Church and the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, the human being is fundamentally and ontologically called to create order. This mandate is not merely a cultural task, but is deeply rooted in the God-likeness of man (Imago Dei). Since God Himself is not a God of disorder, but of the highest reason (Logos) and wisdom, He created the world in a marvelous order (Ordo universi). Man, as the only creature endowed with intellect and free will, was placed by God as His steward in this world to actively participate in divine providence. “Ordering” is thus the true expression of human dignity and an act of imitation of God: Man is to bring to fruition and completion, through his reason, what God has laid out in seed. Thomas Aquinas puts it succinctly: “Sapientis est ordinare” – it is the nature of the wise to order.
This comprehensive mandate of creation extends in its full depth to four essential areas, which are inseparably connected. First and foremost, man must establish order within himself. This begins with the order of thinking (logic), so that reason recognizes the truth unadulterated and does not fall into error. Upon this, the moral order is built: Man is called to order his drives, passions, and will in such a way that they do not rage blindly, but are guided by reason toward the good. This inner “order of love” (Ordo amoris) is the prerequisite for every virtue and all inner peace.
Only when man is ordered within himself can he fulfill this mandate outwardly, namely in the order of community. Here he is obliged to shape social life through law and justice so that it serves the common good (Bonum commune). According to the definition of Saint Augustine, true peace is nothing other than the “tranquility of order” (Tranquillitas ordinis). This social order is not an end in itself, but is meant to create the space in which people can live in freedom and dignity and serve God.
Finally, this divine mandate extends to the order of the material world through work, technology, art, and culture. The biblical command to “till and keep” the earth (Genesis 2:15) means to bring forth the hidden potentials of creation and to shape nature meaningfully. Man must not exploit the world arbitrarily, but should order it as a faithful steward so that it serves humanity and at the same time reflects the glory of the Creator.