The Earth shall be filled with the Knowledge of God
One of the fundamental desires of every human being is to be known wholly and entirely by at least one person in this world. In the presence of this one person, the individual can be fully him or herself without rejection or doubt. And so, it is in this encounter that we each retrieve our deepest authenticity and resist the suffocation of self-protection. For this reason, marriage and sincere friendships provide an important space for this mutual self-revelation and knowledge. Whenever a couple enters honestly into this space, everything in their lives becomes filled with love, peace, understanding, and care. They can so easily forgive each other for their missteps in life. But when it is lacking, the marital relationship loses the ability to help the spouses toward interior freedom and becomes a cage from which the spouses struggle to escape.
Even God desires to be known. The whole creation is about self-revelation by God himself. But the human being is the climax of his creation. Hence, he wants us to know him as a spouse would know his or her spouse, in the intimacy of their being. When the earth is filled with the knowledge of God, there will be peace, joy, love, forgiveness, name it.
This knowledge is not merely intellectual; it is a heart-knowledge that leads to transforming individuals, families, communities, and societies. This knowledge happens in a relationship, just as in a good marriage or friendship. This knowledge is experienced as love. It is this knowledge of God, this loving relationship, that Jesus Christ brought to the world and changed the course of history. The promise of God in Jesus Christ is that we are all filled with this knowledge, this experience of God, so that we can grow in trusting this God whose promises never fail. May we grow in this knowledge of God individually and as a community so that His peace, joy, love, and forgiveness will reign in our hearts, families, and communities. Amen
~Fr Cornelius Okeke