The Fullness of Life
God-centered Life: Knowing God
A life centered on God must necessarily begin with knowledge of God. In the prayer of Jesus to the Father, the Gospel of St. John stated: " And this is eternal life, that they know Thee, the only true God, and Him whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ" (Jn. 17:3). For how can we have eternal life unless we love and center our life on God, the Source of life and Giver of life? And how can we love Him unless we know Him?
But is it possible to know God? And does He really exist? Yes, God does exist and it is possible to know Him. Only fools could say that there is no God. As it is written in the Book of Psalms," The fool says in his heart: There is no God." (Ps. 14:1).
Through the light of reason it is possible to know God by reflecting on the created reality, as it is possible to deduce something about the artist through a study of his art works. As we contemplate the beauty and wonders of this mysterious creation, are we not awed by the intelligence, wisdom, and immense power of the One who created it all?
But then, the power of human reason falls short in discovering the intimate life of this Being whom we consider as the Author and Creator of all things. Fortunately, this Supreme Being is also a loving God and He made it possible for us to know Him through His self-disclosure which we call Divine Revelation.
Since it is not possible by the power of reason alone to know God intimately, He also gave us another faculty, the heart, to believe in His Self-disclosure, so that through believing we may know Him. This is the gift of faith. As Christians, we believe that the fullness of divine Self-disclosure, or Revelation, came to us in the Person of Jesus Christ. As Sacred Scripture tells us,"For God so loved the world the He gave His only-begotten Son, that those who believe in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting" (Jn. 3:16).
(To be continued)