"God is like this".
In any good mystery, we detectives are forced to deal with "red herrings", irrelevant topics or clues, presented in order to divert our attention from the truth. Life is filled with "red herrings" that lead us off the trail - challenges to our faith. The most persistent of these may be our own self-doubts. It is hard enough to believe in ourselves, when we see our own failings so easily, let alone believe in a God who is both transcendent and immanent. Even though our faith is based on knowledge of eternal life, we still fear death because it is the ultimate reminder of our frailty. When thinking about death, I take comfort in the words of the first Preface in the Mass of Christian Burial: "life is changed, not ended."(6)
With any mystery, the end comes when you can reach a solution. The solution to the mystery of God comes when we confront that final paradox, death, the gateway to a new life. …