Knowing Him Better

Isn’t it true that our words express our thoughts? That they express what’s in our hearts? Take a moment to think through that self-evident logic.

 

As the Lord said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

 

I thought about those truths when I read again this text from John’s gospel: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . The word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1, 14)

 

Simply put, Jesus is God‘s word – He is the explicit expression of God’s thoughts, of God’s heart which He made visible and tangible as flesh and blood. Jesus is, as Hebrews tells us, “The radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature.” (Hebrews 1:3)

 

No wonder Jesus said, “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.”

 

If we want to know the Father’s heart better, then it is simply not enough to read books about Jesus; It is not enough to read commentaries about Him; It is not enough to read what the Church has historically taught about Him – all of which are, yes, very important to our spiritual growth. But if we want to know the Father’s thoughts and His heart better, there is no better means provided by God than to read and reflect on what the written word of God tells us about Him.

 

If you don’t already have a habit of consistently reading God’s word, then why not start today? You can find a variety of annual Bible reading plans on the internet. Or you can give mine a try: https://thecontemplativecatholicconvert.blogspot.com/2016/09/bible-reading-plan-revised-sept-2016.html

Do you want to know God better? St. Jerome said it well: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”