Book019

May we please God?

It depends on the kind of God we are talking about

In our relationship with God we take for granted many things. There are innumerable occasions when we do something which seems to us "normal," without realizing that we are taking for granted a presupposition of faith. Let us take some simple questions: is it possible to please God? is it the same to pray or not to pray? to pray once a day or ten times a day? to do some good to a neighbor or not to do so? The answer to these questions is not natural, is a matter of faith.

The God of nature and the God of faith

The answer to these questions depends on the kind of God we have in mind. In other words, it depends if we are talking about the God of nature, or the God of faith, of Christian faith. Why? Because the God of nature and the God of faith relate to creatures in two different ways.

God of nature is the God known by the human mind only; God of faith is the God known by divine revelation. The God of nature, believed mainly by deists, physicists and philosophers, is an impersonal God. This God lives "over there," very far from us; he is impossible to reach, and is indifferent and "insensitive" to us. (See document Who is and who is not our God.)

The God of Christian faith on the other hand, is a personal God; we call him, Father. This is the God revealed by Jesus. He is a God who loves and cares for us, who talks to us and who hears us. This God is aware of everything that happens to us, and is "sensitive" to our needs and desires. We may praise him, thank him and ask him with the certainty of faith that he listens to us; and we can please or displease him, according to our deeds.