Knowing God face to face

Paul says in 1 Cor. 13:12 that when we reach eternity, we shall finally see God face to face. But why wait for that encounter when we can have it now? Benedict says God is the foundational reality, not a God who is merely imagined or hypothetical, but God with a human face; he is God-with-us...

The rub is, how do we see God face to face in the here and now? I suggest we do so every time we transform the truths we believe in into a living and breathing reality. We can know God face to face by living beyond the merely hypothetical.

The values that brings us closest to this vision are those of mercy, forgiveness, compassion and charity. These are the values that require us to understand life on a different plane. We are challenged to see beyond the purely superficial level, and probe events in life, especially the most difficult ones, for the treasures they hold within. If we do this regularly, we ourselves will become transformed into very different human beings, with a depth and tranquility that defies human reasoning.

Eventually, like Mother Theresa, we ourselves will become the face of God to those who know us. For this face to face encounter is not as esoteric as we like to believe. God is very real, and stays very close to us.

Experiencing the encounter

In life, we know there is a distinction between what an author writes and who that author is as a person. One has only to meet an author to realize this. No matter how good the writing, it can never a substitute for the real thing. At best, it only hints.

It is the same for our spiritual life. We can read and even memorize scripture. But it can only bring us knowledge of Jesus. To really know him we must experience him by personal encounter through meditation and contemplation. Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis writes The written Word, even when profoundly meditated upon, can at best bring us to the threshold of the living person of Jesus. Nothing can substitute for this personal encounter, this merging of the horizons of the person of Jesus with my own, this convergence of my and our existence with his, here and now.

How do we experience this personal encounter? By practicing metanoia, turning to the Divine repeatedly, seeking, searching, yearning. When we turn our thoughts toward treasured unseen, we open the door to a relationship that goes beyond the veil. In silence, we hear the voice of inspiration, of invitation. As we continue to turn, we enter into a conversation with the Divine, and we eventually experience that wondrous encounter. For the spirit is not as far away as we formerly thought

Chance Encounters

Chance encounter. It's the moment we are invited to step into a different role or invited to move forward to something new, something defining. We often don't recognize these encounters because we wait for something dramatic, something like the conversion of St. Paul, or the call of the disciple Matthew. Most of us will never experience an encounter that pronounced. For most of us, it will consist of something small, so small we can pass the opportunity by without even glancing back and wondering. And the loss will be ours, though we do not know it.

Romans says Those who were not my people I will call "my people" and her who was not beloved I will call "beloved." Because none of us are meant to remain as we are. We are all called forth to something greater, something destined. The question is not, what is my destiny? but how can I prepare so that when my destiny presents itself, I am ready to step forward? ((58:9b)

The invitation can be as subtle as the change of light throughout the day. The rays descend down at a different slant, the intensity varies. We can go though a whole day without noting it. But it is happening.

We all experience chance encounters. How we receive them will determine where we go in life, and how deeply we step into our roles.