The God of Revelation
Our God is a God of revelation. All other gods have been invented and made by man. God reveals Himself to us in nature, as Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, and in Scripture, so what we know about God today is the sum of what He has thus far revealed about Himself. With the incarnation of Jesus, we have the fullness of revelation until the Second Coming. Jesus completed Gods revelation about Himself. There is nothing we need to know about God to believe in Him beyond what Jesus revealed.
Our discovery of God begins with scripture. Through scripture we can begin to contemplate the attributes of God. Jesus told us through St. Faustina Kowalska1 that the greatest attribute of God is His mercy. St. John tells us that God is love (1 Jn 4:8). Therefore, as we explore the unfolding relationship between God and man in scripture, we should be aware of these two attributes of God in particular.
When we read scripture, we do not just see things God did, as if it is merely a history book or a compilation of events, nor do we learn mere facts about the nature of God. Scripture is our key to the mind and heart of God. Gods Love is the heart and soul of scripture. When we read Gods word, we discover an unfolding relationship of love between God and man, and in so doing we discover many things about both God and ourselves. It is a true relationship into which God calls each of us to participate as fully as possible. Our retreat goal is to enter into that relationship with God as deeply as we can.
In each case, it is an individual relationship, unique to you and God. True, God has a universal relationship with all of us through His Church, the Sacraments, and because we are members of His Mystical Body. But He also desires a personal and unique relationship with each of us. He desires to sanctify you to such a degree that you can encounter Him in the deepest recesses of your soul. He wants to have an encounter with you in that secret place in your soul where St. Teresa of Avila tells us no one can go but you and God2. There, in that hidden place, that sacred place to which God must bring you for you cannot go there on your own, you will experience a spiritual intimacy with God unlike that enjoyed by anyone else in heaven or on earth. But to be brought there you must be properly disposed and prepared, and that is what a developing prayer life is about. Not many people are wiling to prepare to go this far in their relationship with God.
When we receive the Eucharist, we should enter spiritual union with God. The only thing which prevents this union from being experienced by us in its full depth is the degree of imperfection of our response to His invitation of love. Pray that the Holy Spirit will perfect this response in you. Begin at the beginning, by getting to know intimately the God who loves you so dearly.
1 St. Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Marian Press, Stockbridge (1987) par 301. 2 The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol 2, trans Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D. Interior Castle, Seventh Dwelling Places, Ch 1, par 5, pg 49, ICS Publishers, Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington DC, (1980)
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