May 23, 2013
PART 2
Knowledge the fourth of the Sevenfold Gifts, St. Bonaventure
Fourth, grant us knowledge, by which we can distinguish what is good from what is wicked.
The passages:
“Now I know only in part; then I will know fully,
even as I have been fully known”
(1st Corinthians 13:12b)
and
“…even the hairs on your head are all counted”
(Matthew 10:30b)
describe to us a God who knows the details of our lives. The idea of knowing the number of hairs on someone’s head is, in my opinion, not what is important. It is a parabolic description of just how familiar God is with us, and when there is a question of whether God can appreciate our struggles or concerns, the answer could be expressed by saying, “If God knows the number of hairs on your head, what could be outside of God’s knowledge and appreciation?” The answer, of course, is: Nothing. Though we will never know as God knows, we are to strive toward greater knowledge and appreciation of God. This growing knowledge of God will help us to, as St. Bonaveture said, “distinguish what is good from what is wicked.”
Spend time reflecting on what a growing relationship with God might look like for you. Ask yourself, how might I move from an academic knowledge of God to an intimate knowledge that is about true relationship.
