So here comes one of those quotes that is going send your brain into a spin. “Everything that is said or written about the Holy Trinity is in no way really so or true.” What! Is this some atheist spouting off? No, it’s one of the great medieval German mystics, Meister Eckhart. He was getting at the problem of talking about God. We are limited by our language. We simply can’t put God into words without saying something wrong or leaving something out. It’s a human shortcoming. 

When I was teaching religious studies, I used to do this thought experiment. Describe to me the taste of a strawberry. Answer were, sweet, seedy, red. And then I’d stop them. Red is a color. You see red. You don’t taste it. Now they were in trouble. Word’s failed them.

It’s even worse in explaining God. We have lots and lots of words to talk about God, but are they ever enough? One of my seminary professors used to talk about the deus absconditus, the hidden God (he liked showing off in Latin.) No matter how much we think we know about God, there is always more-the great mystery. 

Acknowledging the limits of understanding of God keeps us humble. But if we’re really limited in what we can say about God, how will we ever tell people about God? Here’s the advice attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

Huh? Figure it out for yourself. I can’t explain it. I don’t have the words.

Read Isaiah 45:15 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne