KNOWING GOD
Is it possible to
know God? (CCC 27-43)
Yes. St. Paul in the
letter to the Romans states very clearly: “For what can be known
about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature,
namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived
in the things that have been made” (Rom 1:19-20). We are able to
know both that God exists and some of His divine attributes by
observing the world and ourselves. By observing
the world and the spiritual nature of man, we can see clearly
that there must be a divine, uncreated and perfect Being to
bring them about. These truths about God can be known through
human reason alone. In fact, the Church states that we can know
with certainty the existence of God. Through reasonable
and credible “proofs,” each man is obligated to acknowledge the
existence of God and some of His specific attributes
(unchangeable, uncreated, pure spirit, infinite, etc).
Does God want
me to know Him? (CCC 50-65)
Yes. He created the
world and gifted us with intelligence in order that we would
have the capacity to know Him. Not only does creation
itself reveal Him, but He went even further. From the beginning
of man’s existence, God chose to speak to men and reveal Himself
to us. This choice was free and not done out of need or selfish
desire. Creation reveals His power and greatness, but God wanted
us to know His love, for our benefit, not His. In
order that we could know Him fully, God lived among us
(Jesus) and now, through the Holy Spirit, lives in us. By
sinning, we severed our relationship with Him, but He has worked
since the beginning of time to restore us, in order that we are
able to know and love Him again with full clarity and
understanding.
How do I know what
God has revealed to man? (CCC 74-94)
The two sources of
Divine Revelation (those things God has chosen to reveal to man)
are Scripture and Tradition. Divine Revelation is knowledge we
cannot come to on our own through simple reason; instead it must be
revealed to us by God Himself. Scripture is the
“speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of
the Holy Spirit” (Dei Verbum 9). In other words, it is
the written word of God (the Bible). Tradition
is the living transmission that has been passed down from
the Apostles to their successors, the Bishops. Some people refer
to this as the oral part of God’s revealed world.
However, much of this oral transmission has also been written
down and recorded. To help explain: When St. Paul went to
various cities, he would live there for a time, teaching them
the truths and the way of the Christian faith. Everything he
taught them can be referred to as Tradition. The proceeding
Bishops then passed this same knowledge down the line to their
successors. After Paul left however, he often wrote letters to
these same communities, instructing them further in matters of
the faith. Usually, they were letters that addressed problems
the communities were having in matters of the faith, both in
practice and belief. These letters later became Sacred Scripture
(Letter to the Romans, Corinthians, etc).
Who decides what
Scripture and Tradition really mean? (CCC 85-90)
Only the Magisterium
of the Catholic Church has the right and responsibility to
interpret Scripture and Tradition. The Magisterium consists of
the Pope and the bishops in communion with him. This is a gift
for us from Christ. Before Christ left earth, He breathed the
Holy Spirit onto His Apostles in a special way, giving them the
power to forgive sins and “be” His presence in the world after
His departure. Knowing the tendency of men to stray from the
truth, He promises us that those who lead His Church, through
the power of the Holy Spirit, will always proclaim the truth
in matters of faith and morals. The men are not perfect, but
they have Christ’s perfect power of interpretation of His divine
Revelation. In other words, Jesus loves us so much that He said
in essence: “2000 years after I have left the world, I want to
make sure you still know the truth about me so I promise that
the Holy Spirit will guide my successors to always interpret
correctly what I taught and revealed.” This is a beautiful gift
He has given us in order that we may always be sure that we have
the Truth through the Magisterium of the Church.
Don’t many people
believe different things about God? How do I know who is right?
( CCC 84-87)
If we simply look at
those who call themselves Christians, it is very clear that even
among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, there are many
different beliefs. Furthermore, all denominations claim to be
based on the Bible. Some of these beliefs directly contradict.
Therefore, logically, some must be incorrect, for two
contradicting beliefs cannot both be right. Reason can lead us
to the correct answers. First of all, we can see that God must
desire to protect us from error – He wants us to know His truth.
This is why He gave the Apostles and their successors the Holy
Spirit to proclaim His truth correctly always. We can rely on
this protection as it has been the same for 2000 years. As well,
when we examine the beliefs of the Church, they have an internal
consistency and coherency that conform to reality, human
experience, history, Scripture, and human reason. Many have set
out to prove the Church “wrong,” only to come to recognize this
fact, which often leads to their conversion. The beliefs of all
other Christian denominations, to a greater or lesser degree,
possess internal inconsistencies in logic and do not conform to
either reality, human experience, history, Scripture, or any
combination thereof.
If God chooses to
reveal Himself to us, does man now have a responsibility to
respond to God? (CCC 142-175)
Yes. From the
fullness of His love, God invites man into a friendship
with Himself. We were made and destined to accept this
invitation, and we can have perfect fulfillment of all our
desires only by accepting it. Our just and reasonable response
should be “the obedience of faith” (Rom 1:15). Nothing we have
is our own – everything is a gift from God. In justice and love,
we own God the entire and complete submission of our intellect
and will. This means we freely, out of love, submit our entire
being to God, who wants to love us in return and pour out His
superabundant gifts to our hearts and lives. It requires that we
submit to all His laws and commands, made known through His
Church, because we trust that everything He asks of us is for
our best and for our true happiness.
Do all Catholics
have to believe the same thing? (CCC 172-175)
Yes. God’s precepts
for man are meant for all men. What the Church teaches is
for the benefit and happiness of man. Not adhering to any part
of these teachings means missing out on grace and happiness in
this life and in the life to come. In humility, we must submit
to the Church and Her proper authorities (pope and bishops),
knowing that they are guided by the Holy Spirit for our benefit.
Picking and choosing what to believe and what to reject is a
form of pride that will eventually lead to our downfall. If this
is a struggle, a few suggestions may help. First, humble
submission given in the midst of uncertainty and lack or
understanding is paradoxically a sure way to gain understanding.
The Lord always rewards humility and submission given before
full understanding, and in fact, it is required for true
growth in faith and love. Second, begin to investigate the
teachings of the Church and the “why?” behind them. Most people
reject the beliefs of the Church out of ignorance, not out of
malice. Upon discovery of the truth, the mind is usually stunned
by its beauty and majesty, and humble submission naturally
follows.
