I’m a great fan of churches who post catchy spiritual quotes on the signs in front of their buildings.
Often they are humorous, always meant to inspire, and sometimes just deep enough to stay with you more than the time it takes you to drive your final two miles down the road. This happened to me just the other day, and I find myself still thinking about it.
It went something like this: ‘The greatest thing to know is to know God.?
Simple, and to the point. Some would say even blatantly obvious. But I must admit I was initially left a bit unsettled.
My reaction was, ‘Who can claim to know God?? Grade school catechism came blasting back at me with some of the ‘attributes? of God. God is omnipotent. God is transcendent. God is all-perfect. And of course, the one that always got me: God is incomprehensible.
The question that stayed with me that day and throughout the week remained’Can anyone truly know God?
One of the first things we learn when we meet someone is their name. It is the jumping off point for discovering more about that person. When Moses questioned God about his name, God responded, ‘I am who am.?
Imagine how Moses must have felt when faced with such an ambiguous reply! Luckily God went on to express his care and concern for the oppressed Israelites, reassuring Moses that part of being the great ‘I am? meant that it was his nature to provide for his people’s salvation. The people would learn to know God through the experience of their salvation from the Egyptians.
So what does that mean for us? Is it possible to know something of God through our experiences? I believe it is, if only we take the time to reflect on what we see, hear, and do. Is anyone old enough to remember the movie Oh God! starring George Burns?
As I recall, the movie-watcher was invited to use their imagination to reflect on the connection between God and the main character and consider what this relationship says about God. George Burns played the part of God, a street-wise and kindly old man who is intimately involved in the life of a grocery story manager.
The story is about the grocery manager, not necessarily about God. Yet the metaphor for God speaks clearly throughout the film. George Burns is loving, compassionate, caring and approachable’all attributes to describe a human idea about God. One comes away from the experience of watching the film feeling that God must certainly be connected to humanity in a real way.
This reflection on ordinary experiences can be done on a daily basis. What do you know about God from preparing a meal, weeding a garden, playing a round of golf, attending a business meeting, or going to class? What do you know about God from having an argument with your spouse, paying your bills, or volunteering at a clothing drive?
Anything and everything can be an opportunity to meet God and know God better. Even reading a sign.
Cheryl Smith is director of Adult Faith Formation at St. Daniel Catholic Church.