To love God is something greater than to know him… Love takes up where knowledge leaves off… To love God is something greater than to know him. St. Thomas Aquinas

Those with even a passing knowledge of the history of philosophy or theology will be familiar with the name of Aquinas. He was a prolific Dominican priest  whose major life work was connecting the work of philosophers (notably Aristotle)  with the religious faith to which  he had dedicated his life. One might say that he embodied the classic definition of theology: “Faith seeking understanding”.

Yet, near the end of his life, St. Thomas, while presiding at Mass had a profound mystical experience after which he told his associates: “"I can write no more. I have seen things that make my writings as straw”. It seems that the good Saint had experienced a movement some might call “from head to heart”. Regardless of one’s religious persuasion (or lack of any), such a transition typically leads to a discovery of  the centrality of love in our spiritual journeys, reminiscent of the theme of  Antoine de Saint Exupery”s  The Little Prince: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly”

Much of religious talk and writing can become a competition about who “knows” the most about the spiritual life.  It’s a bit like a car passenger's  arguing about times or arrival, best routes, fuel consumption and rest stops rather than experiencing the beauty of the countryside.  

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What we need most in order to make progress is to be silent before this great God with our appetite and with our tongue, the language He best hears is silent love. St. John of the Cross

Well-known spiritual writer, speaker, and psychotherapist Thomas Moore recently published a book of reflections entitled “The Eloquence of Silence”. The book is a collection of  stories or parables focusing on a paradox found in most spiritual traditions: it is in emptiness that we discover the fulness of hope and trust. As Judge Judy (of the long running CBS program) often reminds litigants; “God gave you two ears and one mouth so that it’s more important to listen than to speak”. (loosely translated)

What St. John seems to be saying is that we need to make room in our heart for God, creating a openness to receive what God desires to give you—nothing less than his loving Presence. The letting go of our “appetite” and our “tongue” points to certain discipline: a silence in which one does not use words ask for fulfilment of our “wants” (rather than our needs). I think there’s a similarity with  a couple in love being able to spend time simply being silently present to each other, savoring that ever-deepening mysterious energy  which we call love.

In Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream we find the line, “Reason and love keep little company together”. Love can never be explained, it can only be experienced as a ‘knowing’ beyond thinking or understanding. That’s why it’s impossible for someone to answer to such questions as  “Why do you love me?” or “What does she see in him?”

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The penances done by some persons are as carefully ordered as their lives. They observe great discretion in their penance, lest they should injure their health. You need never fear that they will kill themselves, they are eminently reasonable folk! Their love is not yet ardent enough to overwhelm their reason. St. Teresa of Avila

This St. Teresa is not known for mincing her words. In this quote she uncovers the truth about those who have “figured it all out” and have ordered their lives accordingly. In today’s world, they would have kept up with the latest advice from health experts, therapists, and nutritionists Such an orientation to life can easily become an obsessive focus on control and thinking. In healthy moderation, planning and control have their place, even in matters of the soul: it may help you towards the door of a loving relationship  with God, one that opens only with a profound surrender of control.

In the NBC long running comedy series Seinfeld, George falls in love with a woman who happens to belong to a relatively unknown (in New York)  religion. As the relationship grows, George proposes marriage, but the woman turns him down because her parents could never abide a non-member of their religion becoming part of her family. George decides to join this church, so he meets with two clergy  who tell him that he must study an armful of heavy tomes and then pass a test. Despite his valiant efforts to master the material, he soon becomes overwhelmed and resorts to cheating on the upcoming test.  Achieving the highest score ever on the test, he is happily accepted into the faith community.

Anyone watching this episode would sense its essential absurdity; we intuitively sense that belonging to a religious community is not fundamentally about passing exams. Though knowledge may help to clear a path towards membership, coming to know and love God derives from that deepest part of oneself. Faith/trust transcends head knowledge, which is why Jesus emphasized the engagement of “heart, soul, and mind”.  (Matthew 22: 37) It is interesting that “mind” is third on the list! 

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