Wednesday, 23 October 2013

The Unknown God vs. The Known God

We do not worship the Unknown God, as St. Paul reminded the Athenians. We worship a God Who came to earth and made Himself vulnerable to the very creatures He had created.

This vulnerable God is Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Son of God and Son of Man. His vulnerability is met by us daily in the Holy Eucharist.

This God comes to us in abject humility. Can we do less than meet Him in humility? God has already endured a Dark Night which none of us could endure. He let Himself be killed on the Cross and experience all the sins, depressions, abandonments, failings of every human being who was ever created.

This God is Pure Love. And, He calls each one of us daily to find Him, as He wants to be found.

He calls and calls and calls. Only fear and pride keep one from responding.

Do not be afraid.

God desires that we know Him and love Him. This is a call to freedom.

Love is only given freely, and is only responded to freely if it is real love.

Manipulation, greed, self-will stop love, both the giving and the taking.

Do not be afraid. From Acts 17...


22 But Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious.
23 For passing by, and seeing your idols, I found an altar also, on which was written: To the unknown God. What therefore you worship, without knowing it, that I preach to you:
24 God, who made the world, and all things therein; he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is he served with men's hands, as though he needed any thing; seeing it is he who giveth to all life, and breath, and all things:
26 And hath made of one, all mankind, to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, determining appointed times, and the limits of their habitation.
27 That they should seek God, if happily they may feel after him or find him, although he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and are; as some also of your own poets said: For we are also his offspring.
29 Being therefore the offspring of God, we must not suppose the divinity to be like unto gold, or silver, or stone, the graving of art, and device of man.
30 And God indeed having winked at the times of this ignorance, now declareth unto men, that all should everywhere do penance.
31 Because he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in equity, by the man whom he hath appointed; giving faith to all, by raising him up from the dead.
32 And when they had heard of the resurrection of the dead, some indeed mocked, but others said: We will hear thee again concerning this matter.
33 So Paul went out from among them.
34 But certain men adhering to him, did believe; among whom was also Dionysius, the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.