Msg Base:  AREA 5  - ASK FATHER            CIN ECHO   AMDG
  Msg No: 232.  Thu  1-30-92 21:48  (NO KILL)  (RECV'D)  (MAILED)
    From: Father Mateo
      To: Bob Whelton
 Subject: God Eternal, Man in Time

+-
| I am having difficulty understanding the concept of God's infinity with
| respect to time and therefore explaining it to a non-Catholic friend who
| believes God does not see the future. Can you explain how God sees our
| existence in time and how this relates to prophecy. For instance, I have
| but have not died yet. From God's perspective does he see mybut have not die
| whole life as it has been and as it will be? From god's perspective has he
| seen my death and if not how does my future death relate to God's
| experience of what is a future event for me but not for Him?
+-[BW=>FM]
| Original message got garbled. Should read:For instance, I have been born
| but have not died yet. From God's perspective does He see my whole life as
| it has been upto this point and will be in the future? From God's has he
|seen my death etc.
+-[BW=>FM]
 
Dear Bob,
 
The difficulty in any comparison between God and man is that one term of
the comparison is incomprehensible.  We more easily understand what God
is not than what He is. And we understand ourselves, the other term, only
imperfectly.
 
Man is part of the material universe and therefore lives in time.  He
does not possess his existence all at once but moment by moment.  Time,
in fact, is the measure of beings in motion and change.
 
God, on the other hand, lives outside of time.  He possesses His own
perfection, or rather, He IS His own being in one indivisible, eternal
Now.  He does not change.
 
God's knowledge is infinite because He IS His knowledge, as He is His
justice, His love, and all His attributes.  We speak of His attributes
in the plural as if they were many, because that is the only way we can
speak of them.  But actually His attributes are all One, and that One
is He Himself.
 
He created (creates) the whole universe, which exists by stages, moment
by moment, in the time-matrix.  What is past to us, present to us,
future to us is all NOW to Him.
 
If God in His Now did not see our future, He would be limited in His
knowledge.  This is impossible because a limited God is no God at all.
But God IS God.
 
Once we perceive that God is far beyond the power of our minds and
imaginations to comprehend, our healthy and humble reaction is to adore
Him, "who was and is and evermore shall be", realizing, even as we say
these words, that they do not in any way express His timeless,
out-of-time perfection and Being.
 
                                Sincerely in Christ,
 
                                Father Mateo