Imagining God

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

What is your image of God? What does God look like? How does God act?

From its earliest days, the church has said, "God is love" (John 3:13). Pope Benedict reiterated this in his first encyclical "Deus caritas est" (12/ 25/05): "God is Love."

	L e n t
	• Everyday People, Everyday Faith articles
	• Other Lent articles

Yet, when you think of God, do you see the Good Shepherd or the Divine Judge of Michelangelo's Last Judgment, casting sinners into hell?

According to a study on U.S. religious beliefs, conducted by Baylor University last year, nearly three-quarters of those who believe in God don't have a loving image. In fact, only 23% viewed God as "benevolent," defined as being active in the world, setting definite moral standards, but not personally condemning anyone.

Other images of God were:

• The "authoritarian God" - the God of 31.4% of Americans - who is active in the world, but angry and ready to send thunderbolts of judgment.

• The "critical God" - the image of 16% of us - is a distant judge, watching and not pleased, but not getting directly involved.

• A "distant God" is the image for 24.4% of U.S. believers. This God is so uninvolved, that he doesn't care what happens to the world. This God set things in motion and then left.

Now this is what all believers thought about God. How about Catholics? How do we who have had the example of John Paul II, Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day see God?

Not much differently. According to the study, with some margin for error, we believe in:

• The Distant God: 29%

• The Critical God: 19%

• The Authoritarian God: 23%

• And the Benevolent God? 28% of us believe in a God who cares and is involved in our lives.

Which God did Jesus reveal?

As we journey through Lent, we might want to explore the Gospels of the season: the transfiguration revealed to confused men, the woman saved from stoning and, most especially, the Prodigal Son. In this parable alone, we have the whole story of God's involvement in our world: his generosity, his love for the lost and those who have done wrong, and his willingness to always welcome us back.

In these gospels we can see, as Pope Benedict said in his Lenten message, that "it is God himself who goes in search of the 'stray sheep,' a suffering and lost humanity."

Then, as we enter Holy Week and experience anew the Paschal Mystery - echoing our own sufferings, our deaths and resurrections - we can reexamine our images of God. What does the Cross say to each of us?

Hopefully, after careful reflection, we will see, as the pope does, that "on the Cross, it is God himself who begs the love of his creature; He is thirsty for the love of every one of us."

A God who thirsts for our love? How many of us see this image in the God of Lent, Holy Week and Easter?

And yet this is the God waiting to be found as we explore our own experiences of life.

Have we ever squandered our gifts? Ever been caught in sin? Have we been scared by thunder and clouds? Suffered, or seen a loved one die?

Did love touch us at any one of those times? Is love still there, waiting to help us?

If so, we need to ask ourselves if we have seen God. And what image we have seen.

If we missed his image the first time we looked, maybe we need to run back to the tombs of our lives and peer inside again. Perhaps then, when we celebrate Easter, we will be able to proclaim, like Mary Magdalene, "I have seen the Lord!"