To Know God

Gospel: John 17: 1-11

"Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God..."

What does it mean to know God? The finite cannot possibly fully grasp the infinite in this life or in any other.  The Scriptures themselves in other places make this same point about the infinite gap between the human and the divine. This statement of Jesus makes no sense from an epistemological point of view, so we must look for another way in which to understand Jesus' assertion.   

Another way of knowing something is through love, but this way of knowing is entirely different from intellectual knowledge.  The knowledge of love is one of intimacy and familiarity with another.  If God is love, then the only way to know God is through love.  And we only love God by loving others here on earth, as each person is an image and likeness of God.  As we love others through works of mercy and reconciliation we grow more deeply in the love of God.

Jesus showed us this way of knowing God in his own life.  He went about doing good to others wherever he went, showing mercy through healing, liberating, and nourishing people at table.  When he called disciples, Jesus instructed them to follow him - to see and imitate the work he does.  He does not call us to create elaborate formation programs.  He calls us to serve others and to support each other in the work of serving.  That is the way of love, the way to know God.