Copyright © 2006 By Doug Lawrence. All Rights Reserved.
Catechism Of The Catholic Church Reprinted With Permission.
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God’s Truth From The Catechism Of The Catholic Church – cont.
"And now, O LORD God, you are God, and your words are true";
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this is why God's promises
always come true.
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God is Truth itself, whose words cannot deceive. This is why one can abandon
oneself in full trust to the truth and faithfulness of his word in all things. The beginning of sin and of
man's fall was due to a lie of the tempter who induced doubt of God's word, kindness and
faithfulness.
216 God's truth is his wisdom, which commands the whole created order and governs the world.
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God, who alone made heaven and earth, can alone impart true knowledge of every created thing in
relation to himself.
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217 God is also truthful when he reveals himself - the teaching that comes from God is "true
instruction".
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When he sends his Son into the world it will be "to bear witness to the truth":
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"We
know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true."
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God is Love
218 In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal
himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special
possession: his sheer gratuitous love.
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And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was
again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and
sins.
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219 God's love for Israel is compared to a father's love for his son. His love for his people is
stronger than a mother's for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom his
beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most
precious gift: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son."
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220 God's love is "everlasting":
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"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my
steadfast love shall not depart from you."
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Through Jeremiah, God declares to his people, "I have
loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."
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221 But St. John goes even further when he affirms that "God is love":
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God's very being is love.
By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his
innermost secret:
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God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he
has destined us to share in that exchange.
IV. THE IMPLICATIONS OF FAITH IN ONE GOD
222 Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences
for our whole life.
223 It means coming to know God's greatness and majesty: "Behold, God is great, and we know
him not."
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Therefore, we must "serve God first".
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224 It means living in thanksgiving: if God is the only One, everything we are and have comes
from him: "What have you that you did not receive?"
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"What shall I render to the LORD for all his
bounty to me?"
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225 It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men: everyone is made in the image and
likeness of God.
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