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Chapter 5. I Believe in God • 51
God “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no human being has seen
or can see” (1 Tm 6:16). Revelation tells us that he is living and personal,
profoundly close to us in creating and sustaining us. Though he is totally
other, hidden, glorious, and wondrous, he communicates himself to us
through creation and reveals himself through the prophets and above all
in Jesus Christ, whom we meet in the Church, especially in Scripture and
the Sacraments. In these many ways, God speaks to our hearts where we
may welcome his loving presence.
We do not confuse the word
mystery
with the term as it applies
to a detective story or a scientific puzzle. The mystery of God is not a
puzzle to be solved. It is a truth to be reverenced. It is a reality too rich
to be fully grasped by our minds, so that while it continues to unfold, it
always remains mostly beyond our comprehension. The mystery of God
is present in our lives and yet remains hidden, beyond the full grasp of
our minds.
God, who always remains beyond our comprehension, has shown
himself to us throughout the history of salvation. His relationship with
Israel is marked by all kinds of loving deeds. He, ever faithful and for-
giving, is ultimately experienced by human beings through his Son, Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Spirit. His love is stronger than a mother’s love for
her child or a bridegroom’s for his beloved. St. John proclaims, “God is
love” (1 Jn 4:8). Jesus has revealed that God’s very being is love.
GOD IS THE TRINITY
The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of
the Christian faith and of Christian life.
—CCC, no. 261
The Old Testament shows God as one, unique, without equal. “Hear, O
Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” (Dt 6:4; Mk 12:29). He
created the world, made a covenant with his people, and is the Father of
the poor, the orphan, and the widow.
In the Creeds, we profess our faith in God as “Father almighty.” His
fatherhood and power illumine each other by his care for us, by adopt-