Episode Transcript  

One

Describing God

If your kid or a friend asked you, “What is God like?” How would you describe God? Well, let’s start with the Creed. God is the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. God is the universal creator of everything. God is Existence. 

Let’s imagine there are only two buckets. In the first bucket, we put everything in the world: people, trees, animals, houses, planets, stars, everything we see. All these things exist. But none of them has to exist. You and I did not always exist. Trees did not always exist. Houses did not always exist. Even stars did not always exist. Each of these things began and come to an end. So, none of them can be the reason it exists. Each one needs its existence from something else.

Now here is the important point: you cannot explain the whole first bucket by pointing to something else inside the same bucket. If every single thing in the bucket needs its existence from something else, then the whole bucket still needs an explanation. A whole bunch of things that cannot explain themselves do not suddenly explain themselves just because there are a whole bunch more of them.

So, there must be a second bucket. In the second bucket, there must be something that does not get existence from anything else. It does not just have existence. It is existence itself. It does not need a cause, because it does not depend on anything else. That is what we mean by God.

So the argument is simple: Everything in the world does not have to exist. What does not have to exist cannot be the reason it exists. A whole collection of such things cannot be the reason it exists either. Therefore, there must be something that exists by its very nature. That necessary being is God. God is pure existence, and He chose to share existence with me. Because He loves me.

Think of all the other things God could have brought into existence, but the one He brought into existence was you. God has selected you from among so many people whom He could have created in place of you, but He has left them in their nothingness, and has brought you into existence, and placed you in the world

Two

Infinite and Perfect 

If God is pure existence itself, then God has no limits. Think about your yard. Your yard is limited because there is a place where your yard ends and your neighbor’s yard begins. A country is limited because there is a place where that country ends and another country, or the ocean, begins.

But existence itself cannot have a border. You cannot draw a line and say, “Existence stops here.” What would be on the other side? Non-existence? But non-existence is not a thing. It cannot exist. So if God is not just one being among many, but existence itself, then God cannot be limited. He is infinite. And if God is infinite, then God is perfect. Why? Because imperfection means something is missing. If you get 99% on a test, that is very good, but it is not perfect because 1% is missing.

But nothing can be missing from God. Every goodness, every truth, every beauty, every power, and every love comes from Him and exists fully in Him. That means God knows everything, can do all things, is present everywhere, and loves without limit. And this infinite, perfect God knows you, cares for you, and loves you without limit.

Three

God is a Person

Many people today like to talk about “the universe,” “karma,” or “life.” They say things like, “The universe brought us together,” or “Karma will take care of it,” or “Life has a way of working out.” But the universe does not know you. Karma does not love you. Life did not choose you. God is not just a power or a force. God is a Person. He knows, loves, chooses, speaks, gives, forgives, and calls. That changes everything.

If God were only a force, you could try to use Him when you needed comfort. But if God is a Person, then you must answer Him. You can know Him, love Him, trust Him, obey Him, and give yourself back to Him. The God who made heaven and earth is not far away. He made you. He loves you. He came to earth in Jesus Christ and died for you. Now He asks for your response.

So, ask yourself: How will I respond to the God who made me, loves me, and calls me by name? Because the ball’s in your court. And the time for you to respond to His initiative is running out.

Four

God is Love

Scripture says it simply, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). But love is more than a feeling. Love is the free gift of oneself for the good of another. Love gives itself away. And that is what God does because that is who God is.

From all eternity, God the Father gives Himself completely. He holds nothing back. This perfect self-gift is the Son. The Son is not created. He is eternally begotten of the Father and receives the fullness of the divine nature. Therefore, the Son is equal to the Father: God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God. The Father and the Son give themselves totally, and this gift is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit receives the fullness of divinity from the Father and the Son and is the living bond of love between them.

This is the Trinity: one God, one divine nature, three distinct Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternally giving, receiving, and sharing the infinite fullness of divine life. And here is the astonishing part: God does not keep this love to Himself. He created us so that we could become His children and share in His own divine life. As the Catechism says, “God is an eternal exchange of love… and He has destined us to share in that exchange” (CCC 221).

Five

Knowing who God is should change the way we live.

The Catechism (222-227) teaches us that knowing who God is leads to at least four possible resolutions today.

First, knowing God should make us grateful. Second, knowing God should change the way we treat other people. Every person is made in the image of God. That means every person has dignity and must be treated with love and respect. So we should live the Golden Rule: treat others the way we want to be treated. Third, it means using everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to him, and to detach ourselves from it insofar as it turns us away from him. Finally, really knowing who God is means trusting Him in every circumstance.

St. Teresa of Avila says it perfectly, “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.”

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