This is a question I have heard many times, often spoken quietly rather than aloud. It usually arises not from curiosity alone, but from a deep desire: to know God, not just believe in Him. When we sense how vast and infinite God is, we naturally ask whether our small human minds can ever truly grasp Him.
The Church gently teaches us that God can be known, but never fully contained by human understanding. Scripture reminds us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” And yet, this same God chooses to reveal Himself—to Abraham, to Moses, to the prophets, and most fully to us in Jesus Christ. We know God not by mastering Him with our intellect, but by receiving what He lovingly reveals.
Think of it like standing before the ocean. You can see its beauty, feel its power, and even enter into its waters—but you will never hold the whole sea in your hands. So it is with God. Our reason allows us to glimpse His truth, His goodness, His order in creation. But His essence remains mystery, not because He is distant, but because He is infinitely greater than us.
And here is the quiet grace of it all: God does not ask us to solve Him. He asks us to trust, to love, and to walk with Him. The mystery of God is not a wall meant to keep us out, but a depth meant to draw us in. As we pray, love, forgive, and seek Him sincerely, we come to know God—not completely, but truly, in the way a child knows a loving Father.
A Closing Reflection
May we never be afraid of God’s mystery, but learn to rest within it.
For in not fully understanding Him, we discover that we are fully held by His love.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
