Father Victor Valdez of San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas, noted in his column published in the church's Aug. 23 bulletin that the only way to know God is to love God.

Our minds will never fully understand but our hearts and souls can flourish by accepting the mystery of God, Fr. Valdez said.

Years ago when life wasn't so fast and there weren't so many ways to deceive, people believed what they saw and heard unless their experience proved otherwise, he continued. We were gullible and trusting. Technological advances have eroded some of that trust, made us more skeptical and quicker to question whether what we see and hear is real.

Social media is one example of presentations that can be deceiving, Valdez said. Photoshop and other technologies can make things that aren't real seem very real. In this day and age, a bit of skepticism is healthy. Questioning is a normal part of human relationships as long as it doesn't turn us away from love and connection, because trust is essential for a relationship with God.

Simon Peter came to the knowledge that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God, through relationship with Him, Valdez said. He did not have to understand it intellectually to accept its validity. There are many things in this life that we know but don't fully understand. 

Fr. Valdez encouraged his parishioners to trust God enough to bring their reality into contact with the vast mystery of God.