[We must not] remain barricaded in our certainties . . . Are we prepared for the adventure of this journey? Or are we fearful of the unknown, preferring to take refuge in the usual . . . -Pope Francis
The words above were part of a recent speech by Pope Francis on Church reform, but in a broader sense, they reflect a more general challenge of contemplative living: God is not truly knowable through the intellect. The Godself utterly shatters any concepts, notions, ideas, or formulas we have of God. These ideas have their place as a sliver or a sense of the Truth, as an entry point into the Great Mystery, yet they ultimately amount to feeble attempts to explain the ineffable. The real adventure of contemplation is the encounter with God who at once beyond our mental grasp and yet firmly rooted in the deepest reaches of the heart and soul. Encountering this God will no doubt surprise and shock us, and it may even disappoint us, if we are, in fact, “barricaded in our certainties”, which may well dissolve in the infinite pool of Love and Mercy. Are we ready to encounter God as God is, rather than how we think God to be? Are we prepared?