"Understand God?" Ha!

Since I plan - hope - to spend an unending life with God, it makes sense learn what I can about just Who and What God is. Sort of like learning what the boss is like - except of a different scale. Very different scale.

I don't expect to really understand God. Not before, through the grace of my Lord, I am can see Him "face to face." (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Fact is, I'd be disturbed if I started feeling that I fully understood any part of His creation. Let alone the Eternal God.

Still, we've learned a bit about "The LORD, ... the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob"¹ over the last few millennia. It helps that the great I AM has talked to us from time to time:

" 'But,' said Moses to God, 'when I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," if they ask me, "What is his name?" what am I to tell them?' God replied, 'I am who am.' Then he added, 'This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.' "
(Exodus 3:13-14)

"...'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.'"
(John 8:58)

" 'The Father and I are one.' "
(John 10:30)

Then there's the time when all three Persons of the Holy Trinity were seen or heard at the same time: Matthew 2:16-17. That's three Persons, not three gods. Catholics worship One God. Who is One: and is three Persons. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 202) Do I fully understand the Trinity? Not hardly: and I wouldn't expect to. God's God, I'm not.

"From Everlasting to Everlasting"

God is:

• All-powerful
  • Created everything
  • Rules everything
  • Can do everything
  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 268)
• The source of
  • Every good
  • All love
  • All truth
  (Catechism, 1723, 2465)
• The great HE WHO IS
  • From everlasting to everlasting
  • Without origin and without end
  (Catechism, 212-213)
  
• A "mystery without words"
  • Even after revealing Himself
    • "If you understood him, it would not be God"
      (St. Augustine)
  (Catechism, 230)

That's not a complete list, not even close, of what we've pieced together so far. that would take a book. Books.

As a rule, I like to understand. But in the case of God, I'll go with what St. Augustine said:

"If you understood him, it would not be God"
(Catechism, 230)

Somewhat-related posts:

• "An Eternal Life I can Live With"
  (August 27, 2011)
• "A Nerdy Interest in God and his Creation?"
  (August 12, 2011)
• "How Could God Floss His Teeth?"
  (July 2, 2011)
• "Trinity Sunday, 2011"
  (June 19, 2011)
• "Last Judgment: Attendance Mandatory"
  (May 21, 2011)

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¹ Exodus 3:15