For we know partially, and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes,
the partial will pass away.
When I was a child,
I used to talk as a child,
think as a child,
reason as a child,
when I became a man,
I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully,
as I am fully known.
– 1 Corinthians 13:9-12
“Deep in human nature, despite its clutter … [is a call to] surrender to a mystery that is not understandable to us — but seems to be calling us and determined to share with us the beauty, goodness, freedom, compassion, and forgiveness of God as something totally gratuitous. … The Mystery unfolds of itself. The Christian mystical tradition is a process that is appropriate for those devoting themselves to be seekers of the Mystery that is at once awesome and irresistible. These seekers are motivated by the desire to know, to serve, and to do the will of this immense goodness – a presence that becomes more and more intimate and tender. …
“Contemplation … is perhaps the easiest way to access the spiritual level of our being or the Ground of Being out of which we came, which is really the Divine Presence and its creative energy and its continuing creation and accompaniment of us as our human development advances.”
– Thomas Keating, “The Mystery of God,” The Gift of Life: Death & Dying, Life & Living
A Mediation
“When the truth is revealed to us in this deep way it gives us a picture of God’s very nature,
which cannot be perceived with any eye. … It can never be erased but continues to shine brightly upon all our innermost thoughts.
“There is nowhere that God does not exist. He is completely present everywhere.”
– Augustine, On Seeing God
To Practice
- View the video excerpt on “The Mystery of God” which comes from the video series The Gift of Life: Death & Dying, Life & Living. It is about 11 minutes in length. In the video segment, Fr. Thomas addresses:
- The perennial questions: What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? What is God like?
- God can be known by way of relationship which evolves throughout the spiritual journey.
- Our whole approach to God needs a 180-degree shift which is facilitated by contemplation.
- In wonder, ponder that the Creator of the universe(s) is accessible, knows you completely, and can be known by you in an intimate and personal relationship.
