The mystery of God is not something that can be fully grasped; but to know God, we can love Him and the mystery wrapped around him.

Lumen Christi Catholic Church in Mequon, Wisconsin, has published a Gospel Meditation in the Aug. 23 edition of its church bulletin.

"Years ago, when life had a more innocent quality to it, we believed what we were told or witnessed, unless there was direct evidence otherwise," the Gospel Meditation said. "This was especially true if the information came from someone in authority. 

"In a sense, we were a bit more gullible on one hand but also more trusting on the other. The latter is an admirable quality that sadly can be eroded when we realize we have been duped. With education and technological advances, we find ourselves more skeptical and less likely to too quickly accept and believe what we see and hear."

Social media also has the power to distort the truth very easily with tools such as Photoshop. They can make what's not real seem genuine.

"How far do we allow this obviously justifiable skepticism to take us?" the Meditation asked. "Questioning and doubting are healthy elements of any good relationship as long as we don’t allow them to turn us away from a deeper experience of love and encounter." 

If something cannot be understood or proven, we tend to claim it as untrue. But that isn't necessarily always correct. Trust is required, especially in forming a relationship with God.

"With all things and people that make a profound claim on us, we have to trust in the absence of knowledge," the Meditation said. "Full self-investment involves plunging completely into the unknown!"

If we trust and love the Lord, we will come to the knowledge that he is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God," as Peter said to Jesus. It wasn't any proof or evidence that led Peter to know this to be true. It was his trust, love for God and relationship with Jesus that led him to know this to be true.

"The silent exchange of love between friends, and not an intellectual exercise of the mind, brought Peter to this place," the Meditation said.

There are many instances in life when we know something is true even if we do not understand it.

"When someone sacrifices their own well-being for another, it may not make intellectual sense when examined," the Meditation said. "But it makes a world of sense when it is carried out. The vastness of reality and an encounter with incomprehensible mystery all lead us to profound silence where we simply know something to be true. Have you trusted enough to allow your relationship with God to bring you to this place, or are you still too skeptical?"