We In the closing words of today’s first reading Hosea admonishes us to strive to know God as much as possible.

And that begs the question: “How?”  How do we do that?  How do we humans get to know someone who is super-human, someone who is divine?

At a meeting I was at last Tuesday night, I heard a young urban professional remark in his opening speech to us there that we all try each day to know the Lord ever more deeply, if for no other reason than we’re trying every day to figure out the mysterious things that happen to us in life: the good things, as well as the bad things.

Our human nature compels us to seek answers.

And people of faith as we are, we turn to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, because they are divine.

We are only human.

They have a lot more in the understanding department than we do.

So how then can we really get to know the Lord more deeply?

Well, it’s very much like we get to know another person more closely.

We look and see what the person does.  And we try to find out what the person likes and doesn’t like.

So we look and see what God does:  The Father lovingly creates and provides, Jesus, His Son, saves and rescues us, And the Holy Spirit sanctifies and makes us a holy people.

And what does God like and dislike?

Well, for starters we know about the 10 Commandments.

Andy today in both the 1st reading and the Gospel, we find that God is more interested in the mercy we show one another on His behalf than the external sacrifices and other religious rituals we do.

That’s because acts of mercy are more genuine reflections of who we are inside than how we merely appear to be on the outside.

In other words, God is more delighted with internals than externals.

And that’s because it’s in the internal of our hearts and spirits that He can touch us more intimately than in the externals of what we are busy about doing.

Here are a couple examples:

Remember the incident Jesus had with Martha and Mary.

Martha was busy with all the externals, running and fussing about all the dinner preparations, and Mary just sat at the Lord’s feet, enjoying his company.  And Martha complained to Jesus: “Tell my sister to help me.”

And Jesus responded: “Martha, Martha, you are busy about many things, but Mary has chosen the better part.”

So sure, a meal isn’t going to prepare itself, and the table will not set itself.

But there has to be a balance.

Did you ever go to visit someone and that person keeps dashing about doing things to please you but hardly ever sits down just to visit and talk with you?

Here’s another example:

We can participate in a magnificently prepared liturgy, here or down at the Cathedral, or anywhere, and feel that we truly have been in touch with God.

But how about the contemplative lives of our Carmelite Sisters just behind us up on E. Gore Road?  Surely their knowing God is much more internal and constant than an occasional great liturgy.

So, as we search for ways to deepen our relationship with God, we need to maintain an ongoing conversation with Him from our innermost heart, and keep on praying, as St. Paul says.

And a truly honest guest to know God more deeply will lead us to serve Him better by genuinely seeking out opportunities to do the works of mercy the Bible tells us He is more interested in.

“Be merciful, as I am merciful,” says the Lord: “reach out to the lonely and  the isolated,

Take pity on the helpless, Befriend the poor and marginalized.”

Come to know the Lord more deeply by simply doing what delights Him as your way of thanking Him for what He has done for you.

      Thank you.