Perception

Early morning fog and low cloud cover is covering the highest mountains from view. I see the contours of the closer hills clearly. One thin stripe of white ice is still lingering in the shady parts of the lake. No wind this morning; the lake is still and reflecting shapes of trees, but it is not quite clear. From my view in the living room, some trees are closer. They show their evergreen foliage, they are sharper and more distinct.

Perception. Perspective is always part of our perception, and so is focus.

I know this landscape. I have witnessed it on a clear and sunny day. I know the shape of the mountains that are hidden in the cloud cover. I know the colours of the trees, the hills, the buildings. So, I have knowledge from sense perception. I build on experience.

          I could obnoxiously claim that I know all that is worth knowing about the place; but I would not be able to sustain it on further inquiry. I could still claim that I know all that is worth knowing, and that it leads us to where we want to go and to be.

           I have a friend that sometimes brings a Catholic theologian, Karl Rahner, in to the discussion about knowing God. I read some pages of his writings, only to emerge with the impression that his concept of God's grace was like a nebulous fog. Due to rational mode of thought, I led out a battle cry -(I typically oppose things I do not quite understand) - until I stared at this early morning covered in the 'nebulous fog'. God and his realm are sometimes in a fog for us; we do not see all things so clearly. The reality is still there, though. God is there when I do not see Him.