The other day I came across the following quote by the early
Christian theologian Origen: “God is absolutely one; God is simple.” Of all the
words I might choose to describe God, “simple” is not one that would come to
mind. However, that thought comes from my human perspective, and we humans tend
to make everything complicated. Our go-to position is to see difference and
complexity instead of oneness and simplicity.
One attribute of God we can agree on is wisdom, and the mark
of wisdom is simplicity. Consider Einstein’s equation E = mc2; you
won’t find a scientific equation much simpler than that, but what it
reveals—that energy and matter are interchangeable, because they are different
forms of the same thing—helps us understand how the energy of God’s love,
creativity, and compassion can come to dwell in human flesh.
God loves. We are one with God. Therefore we are called to
love. It appears Origen had it right; God is simple. It is we who need to stop
trying to make God complicated.
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