February 11

Much of our identity and purpose can be found in a name; after all, to name something is to know something. So in order to reflect on the question, “Who is God?” one should look to his name. But here is the tricky part: if you have ever read the Bible or attended mass, you will know that God is referenced to and addressed by many names like God the Redeemer, Shepherd, God the Father, King, and even God the Son. But most frustrating of all these names is Yaweh or “i am who I am”. What makes this name so frustrating is the how this answer to the question of name just leads to another question: well what are you? But as frustrating as this answer is, it really exemplifies Him as a being. By clarifying that he doesn’t have to answer to us, mere humans, he is putting himself above us as an absolute. He doesn’t even have to identify which god–he is “I,” the default. Yet his assertion of his absolutism doesn’t isolate him from us: he still gives himself a name so that he can be called upon by us. He actually is both more divine than us and one of us. He is a dual character, one who thought reveals his name, just pushes him back further into mystery. How can one be formed of such a dichotomy? Yet another duality arises in God’s name: the fact that he allows all to know this name makes clear this is he as much as another person’s god as our god. Yet, God is also personal and with man as man, one on one. There is so much more I could write about who God is: he is hope for the future, he is man, he is above all. But to fully explore that question would be to dedicate a life’s work as God is so rich with identity and meaning.  In conclusion, while God’s names reveal much about himself, it only makes us have to more fully explore his contradictory nature—yet another step in our endless quest for knowing God.