What Faith In One God Implies
by Pat Gohn in Faith on Thursday, June 03, 2010 6:00 AM
We continue to examine the Creed and “We believe in one God.”
There are 5 implications of belief in the one God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in CCC 222, reads:
Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life.
These “enormous consequences” affect us now, plus they have eternal ramifications!
1. Faith in God means coming to know God’s greatness and majesty (CCC 223).
Do we have “awe” of God? Are we in right relationship with the Creator of all things?
St. Augustine “gets it” on the awesomeness of God: “If you understood him, it would not be God.”
Still our belief in God means we do not ignore God, or take him for granted, even if we cannot fully understand everything about him. This disparity exemplifies Who God is in relation us. He is Creator. We are creature. Knowledge of Who God is and who we are generates a holy reverence on our part.
It’s true that God, in his deepest depths, cannot be completely known to us. Yet this great and awesome God, who already knows us, longs to be known by us.
We find the traces of his majesty in creation and are moved by it. More importantly, God provided a gradual revelation of himself through history from the time of the creation of man and woman through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
How do we apply “knowing God’s majesty” in our lives?
St. Joan of Arc suggests we acknowledge God’s greatness when we “serve God first”. After that, everything else falls into place.
2. Faith in one God means living in thanksgiving (CCC 224).
The Catechism counsels: “If God is the only One, everything we are and have comes from him.”
Have we ever considered this? St. Paul asks: “What have you that you did not receive (1 Cor 4:7)?”
Developing an attitude of gratitude before God is the only fitting response to Providence. Therefore, make thanksgiving a daily habit as you go about your business.
Don’t forget, one of the Church’s most powerful prayers is a perfect thanksgiving, a perfect response to God’s bounty and beatitude: Eucharist means “thanksgiving.”
3. Faith in one God means knowing the unity and true dignity of all persons (CCC 225).
How often have we recited that everyone is made in the image and likeness of God? (Cf. Gen. 1:26). It seems so basic. But sometimes we become dull to that profound truth.
What’s more, because God chose to become one of us in and through the Incarnation, this God-becoming-man of Jesus Christ elevates the value of all human persons!
In application, this means our personal sins and failures, as well as our goodness and good works, have corporate dimensions; they involve others. As saints-in-the-making, by developing this mindfulness of the dignity of the other, we discover the “oneness” of God that we share with all people.
4. Faith in one God means making good use of created things (CCC 226).
Talk about the ultimate stewardship lesson! Here, once again, the Catechism points us to the sage wisdom of one of the saints.
St. Nicholas of Flüe lived in the 15th century. The patron saint of Switzerland, he lived a life of heroic faith and virtue. We might do well to take his prayer as our own:
“My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you.
My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you.
My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.”
5. Faith in one God means trusting God in every circumstance, even in adversity (CCC 227).
Can I say it any plainer than the Catechism already has? But there it is: the trust factor. Once again, we take the saints as inspiration.
St. Teresa of Avila wonderfully expresses this trust:
“Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you
Everything passes / God never changes
Patience / Obtains all
Whoever has God / Wants for nothing
God alone is enough.”
Want to read more?
Try CCC 1723:
… seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love.
—Pat Gohn is a wife & mother celebrating 27 years of Catholic family life. Her Catholic writing, podcasting, and ministry life are found at PatGohn.com.
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