The Quest to Know God

One advantage of keeping silence at breakfast is that it provides time for bird watching. This mor-ning I was entertained by a robin, who energet-ically performed a treasure hunt by snatching a leaf, throwing it aside, pecking at the ground a couple of times, running over to another leaf, throwing it aside, pecking at another patch of ground, and so on. It reminded me of myself in my quest to know God: turn a page of the bible and dig around a little, get distracted by the new Joan Chittister book and start taking notes, notice that a  friend has posted a Mary Oliver poem on Facebook and see what I can glean from that….

God is too expansive for us even to begin to understand, but we keep trying. Curiosity about God is natural, but it is also important to remember, as Kallistos Ware notes, “God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of our wonder.” Knowledge is not the only thing that leads to wisdom; having the humility not to need to know and being willing to live with mystery is perhaps a truer path to the heart of God, who will provide revelation when we are ready for it. In his poem A Giving, Brendan Kenelley says, “I now know it does not matter that I do not understand.” Being attentive and thankful is enough of a challenge for this day.