A personal invitation to become a theology nerd

If we don’t know our faith and the “whys” of our faith then we are reduced to feelings and we lose our intellectual heritage.  This matters because God wants to have a real and vibrant relationship with each of us. 
If we don’t know Him at all then how is it possible for us to love Him—truly love Him? Otherwise, it is not love, it is infatuation. One of the marks of infatuation is that there is a strong feeling, but there is not much knowledge of the other person’s true self.  
I am a theology nerd.  I love studying theology.  I love pondering moral questions. I love learning about the Bible, culture and the idioms used so I can better understand the Lord.  Like I said, I am a theology nerd.  I would like to invite each of you to become theology nerds too.
God is not just the head of our religion. God is the One in whose image we are created. God made each of us to be united with Him for all eternity.  God is the fulfillment of our existence. When fully united to Him, we will be fulfilled and we will be who we were created to be.  God is not meant to be detached from us.  He desires to be close to us.
This leads to a question. Why should we wait to delve into that relationship? In my case, it is often because I get distracted. Ironically, I get distracted precisely by things created by God that should serve as a reminder that He loves us and longs to be with us.
We will soon return to our regular, hectic schedules. Please, let us make our relationship with God a high priority in our lives.  Spend time in prayer.  Read about great saints.  Volunteer in your parish catechesis program.  Volunteer at Catholic Social Services.
So much of what takes our time and attention are just passing realities.  Let’s treat them as such.
— Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected]