We know that God is unlike anything else that exists. He is the totally other, the creator and source of all things who cannot be confused with any of the things He has created. While it is true that creation itself points to His existence - for why would anything exist at all unless it had a creator - the created world by itself does not clearly reveal what kind of God God is. If we are to know God in a personal way, He must reveal Himself to us. He must open up his heart, so to speak, and show us Himself. He does this in the way He intervenes in history, particularly in choosing the Jewish people and leading them to the promised land and being faithful to them over the centuries. We come to know Him in the acts He performs. But in His love for us, He goes even further. He comes among us personally in Jesus, His divine son. In the Incarnation He assumes human nature so that He can directly walk with us. As St. John says in his first letter, “what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands… for the Word of life was made visible…” Christ Himself refers to this stunning reality in today’s gospel when He says to the Apostles wanting to see God, “When you see me you see the Father”. When Christ teaches, it is God who is teaching. When Christ acts, it is God who is acting. If we wonder if God really loves each one of us, we only have to see how Christ deals with individual people, like Zacchaeus or the woman at the well, or the blind beggar. If we wonder how He deals with our sins, all we have to do is listen to His parable of the prodigal son or see him forgive the woman caught in adultery. God does not leave us in the dark about what kind of God He is, He reveals himself clearly to us in Christ. It is wonderful to be able to face life and death knowing that the God of love is always with us.
