Monday, April 30, 2018

Knowing God by Heart


It was said of Sr. Margaret Brennan that she “knew God by heart,” which seems like an extraordinary statement. How does one come to know God in such an intimate way?

When we memorize a poem or scripture passage, we often say that we “know it by heart.” True memoriza- tion means more than reciting words; it entails spend- ing time with the text, looking at it from all angles, seeing how it resonates with our experience, exploring what it means for us, and integrating it into our life. We actually end up developing a relationship with the piece; we might say, “That is my favorite poem” or “I want that scripture passage read at my funeral.”

We can use the same process to come to know God by heart. Because God‘s depths and dimensions are fathomless, getting to know God intimately is a never-ending endeavor. Nonetheless, whether we ultimately get to see God face to face doesn’t matter, because if we devote ourselves to our relationship with our Creator now, when our earthly body dies we will surely recognize God’s heart.

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