Glorious is His Name

Expressing Our Relationship With God

Walking in Faith 

We get to points in our life when things become clearer, simpler and more meaningful, but they fail to be put into words. I'm referring to relationships. Only you would know these relationships as no one else does, but they are real and you depend upon them. We are so use to words and how they work. Oh, they are great and when you can use them well, but they fail to work beyond a point. All someone can do at times to express these deeper meanings in one's life is remain silent: a setting sun, a quiet still ocean, a view of mountains rising in the distance, snow-peaked and rising above the clouds beyond one's sight. This may be something of what St. John felt when he was writing the Gospel. His words in the prologue seem to go deeper than what is written and point towards a reality far beyond the grammar rules they follow. Even for a child who reads these first words is caught up in their simplicity, yet Saints like Augustine, Aquinas, and Chrysostom, spent pages and pages on these first few verses of his words. Perhaps St. John reflecting upon his living relationship with Jesus could not completely say what he felt and had experienced but he was willing to follow the inspiration of the Spirit of Revelation and used the simple tools given to him. So has it been since the beginning of time for all those who have reflected, in faith, upon God and his relationship with mankind. Every person grasps something of God, the Transcendent One, yet also fail to say everything about him. Why? Because our words are not his Word.

Living the Mystery of Faith

Because we are unable to express who He is in the use our words does not bar us from living his life in our minds and hearts. On the contrary, the silence that ensues between us and him requires a greater reverence and adoration toward He who IS. We don't truly understand why we seek Him in this Mystery other than we are called by Him to participate in it and this participation is life itself. A life that has no beginning and no end, which we all share, but no one can understand him completely because we would have to be infinite as he is, which is impossible in our reality as creatures. However, he has so created us in such a way that what we do receive from him fills us full of joy that completes us and makes us whole. It makes us more whole than having the entire universe of created things, yet this one thing, faith, cannot be seen. So the unseen, we realize by his gift, is greater than the seen. That is our first elementary step in his eternal classroom. Yet he tells us "learn of me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Being Poor in His Eyes

We have nothing to boast about. Even after we have it all as a gift, we are "unprofitable servants,' because "all wisdom comes from you, O Lord, and it remains with you forever." Contemplating the life of Jesus he gave to us an example of detachment from this life. All of his teachings, miracles, and actions, in the end, seemed to be for nought when he died naked, pierced, and totally abandoned by all bu his Mother and a few disciples. But we cannot deny that we are his and he even sent to us a man who persecuted his children to teach us this great truth "God chose us in him, before the world began to be holy and blameless in his sight." We don't see this truth with the eyes of our flesh, but with the eyes fo our faith, which cannot be explained, but it is, yet it is unseen an a mystery. How much more mysterious is what he has prepared for those who love him for "no eye has seen, no ear heard, nor has it dawned upon the mind of man what God has prepared for those how love him and keep his commandments."  In the end we simply say "Thank you, My God!" As St. Augustine once said "who are we to argue with God?" We just need to be grateful he has given us his gift and make use of it to return his glory the best way we can when we have the opportunity; otherwise, we pray with Peter and the disciples, "Lord, we do believe, help our unbelief."

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