Grow in knowledge of God Acts 13:14, 43-52; Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5; Rv 7:9, 14b-17; Jn 10:27-30 “I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me” (Jn 10:14). The summer I turned 12, my parents registered me for the soccer season with our town’s recreational league. I looked forward to the start of the season every August, but this year was special. It was the summer before I began middle school. Most significantly, it was the first time I made a friend on one of my soccer teams. I always had fun with the girls on my soccer teams, but I never maintained connections with them. Penny and I met on the first day of practice and we immediately gravitated toward each other. Between soccer practices, games and school, we quickly became friends. We are still friends 28 years later. When we graduated high school, she invited me to a celebratory dinner with her family. We went to a Chinese restaurant that served food in large, family-style portions. At one point during the dinner, I looked down at my plate to see a piece of meat that I could not identify in my chicken fried rice. The piece of meat in question was smaller and pinker than the other pieces of chicken on my plate. I did not care for meat in general. I could tolerate chicken, but I could not tolerate seafood. The chicken fried rice I had served myself was right next to the shrimp fried rice. I separated the mystery meat from the rice and gazed upon it, terrified. Was it chicken — or did a little chunk of shrimp sneak into my rice? I sat staring quietly at my plate as Penny’s family chatted and laughed together, unaware of my dilemma. However, Penny had apparently noticed my sudden fascination with the food on my plate. She leaned forward from the other side of the table and quietly said, “Kate, you can eat it. It’s chicken.” I had not said a word to her about my predicament. I did not even look at her, but she knew. Over the years, we have had many interactions like these. We used to joke that we shared a brain cell. This is what it is like to be known. Words do not always need to be spoken because there is an instinctive understanding of the other person. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and they accept each other fully. Months, even years, can pass without seeing each other, but when they meet again in person it is like no time has passed. There is a comfort and safety in the relationship that does not exist in others. Each person trusts that the other will be there, in good times and bad. This is the way that God knows us. God knows everything about us, from the smallest details, like the foods we like, to the bigger details, like our deepest fears and hopes. We do not need to speak to God, for God to know what we need or how we feel. We can stop praying and worshiping God in community, and this will not separate us from God. God knows everything about us and accepts us as we are. God trusts that we know God’s voice when we hear it (Jn 10:27). God trusts us with the care of the world and has faith that one day, we will learn how to be the co-creators that we were made to be. This is also the way that God wishes to be known by us. Scripture shows us that God feels deeply and cares for us deeply. It teaches us that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity (Ex 34:6). It shows us that God repeatedly reaches out to us, waiting for our response. God is waiting for our acceptance, and for us to have the same trust and faith that God has in us. In what way might you use this Easter season to grow in your knowledge of God?
About the Author Kate Oxsen is an assistant professor of Old Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union.