Longing for God: Gregory of Nyssa

Gregory of Nyssa is a Christian writer from the years c.330-c.395 who is considered to be one of the most important writers of the Christian east. Gregory wholeheartedly defended the idea of full divinity and the humanity of the God-head; however, he really stressed the idea that mere human beings could not completely understand or comprehend the mystery of who God was and is.

Gregory believes that inside each of us is this deep desire and need to experience "the Good". The "Good" is the relationship, that in the beginning, humans could experience and did experience with God. Today though, after the Fall, our understanding and comprehension of this "Good" eludes us, it escapes our limited capabilities to where we can only catch a glimpse at what it might be.

What is so heart-wrenching is that we had the possibility of knowing that "Good" right in front of us, but we let go of it for hundreds and thousands of years. But what gives us hope is that we now have this an anticipation, this deep hunger in the pit of our bellies, that we are going to know this "Good" fully again one day. It is that anticipation, isn't it, that ought to be fueling our desire to know and understand who God is as fully as we can right now, here on this earth. We might have lost it messed up royally at the beginning of time, but thankfully that wasn't our only chance, we still have the promise of eternity-yes eternity-to gain back that full comprehension, that beautiful relationship with God, the one and only "Good".