Any “scope” through which we view the Mystery of God is always too narrow, as there will always be some aspect of creation left outside of the scope. The people of ancient Israel occasionally fell into a narrow notion of God, declaring, for instance, thar God had “not dealt thus with other nations, not taught them his decrees” (Ps 147:19-20). Yet much of the spiritual genius of the Hebrew people was to recognize that any God worthy of the name must transcend any religious system, even as the system allows us to recognize and rightly name the Great Mystery. Ultimately, “all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” (Ps 98:3).
Contemplative practice is the gateway through which God can lead us into this transcendent space. Through the surrender of our thoughts and our need to control prayer, including the forms and formulas of religion (beautiful, profound, enriching, and truthful though they are!), we receive the full Reality of God, “the firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15). In the contemplative space, the heart is positioned to receive the Love to which scripture, doctrine, Tradition, and theology all point, but which none of them can fully grasp. We, together with “all the nations,” can see God as God is!
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