Got God? I have a question for you!

Good old Question #6 from the Baltimore Catechism (if you remember that you are like me - old) is:

Why did God make you?

And any Baby Boomer knows that answer without a glitch:

God made me to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in the next.

I can recite that coming out of a dead sleep, in the middle of an earthquake, and while watching the Niners beat the Raiders in pre-season football.  Nudge me and ask me that or other questions from First Grade Religion class at Christ the King (Sister Mary Frances, all hail her holy name) would gently call the names of all 51 children (you read that right - FIFTY ONE KIDS) in her first grade class one at a time and ask us questions:

Does God have a beginning?

God has no beginning.  God is infinite.  God always was and always will be.

Very good, Leslie.

Next?

I bring this up because there is a line of thought today that somehow, studying our faith is always about deep philosophical thought and heavy duty discussion.   The reality is (as any good teacher can tell you) a good student has to learn the basics, has to do some memorization, before they can tackle the deep stuff.  If you do not know that a plus sign means addition they you cannot decipher the formula of 1 + 3.  I don't care how smart you are - you gotta learn the basics.

For instance - Where is God?

Answer:  God is everywhere.

Truth - simple and precise.  From that we can ask, should we ever be worried we are abandoned by God?  How can we be abandoned when He is everywhere, including wherever we are right that minute?

Question: Does God know all things?

Answer:  God knows all things, even our most secret thoughts, words and actions.

Truth - again simple and precise and reassuring; for if He knows all then we do not have to worry about going to Him.  For knowing means understanding, truly understanding.  Link that with the fact that He loves us and you have a Creator who loves me as well as understands me...and how wonderful is that?

Learn the basics...and the reality of those basics will lead to an incredible life.