Morning Prayer: True Knowledge

 


from today's Psalm Prayer: "give us true knowledge of your mercy"

So, what is true knowledge?

True knowledge is lived, not merely learned

We often treat knowledge as something we acquire: facts, doctrines, explanations, definitions. But Scripture uses knowledge in a different register. To “know” in the biblical sense is to be changed by what you encounter. It’s experiential, relational, embodied.

True knowledge of mercy, then, is not:

  • reciting that God is merciful

  • believing mercy is one of God’s attributes

  • admiring mercy as a theological concept

Those are good beginnings, but they are not true knowledge. True knowledge is when mercy becomes the lens through which you see God, yourself, and the world.

It’s when mercy stops being an idea and becomes a way of being.

True knowledge is recognition

Mercy is always present—quiet, steady, unforced. But we don’t always recognize it. We confuse mercy with indulgence, or with leniency, or with “letting us off the hook.” Mercy is none of those. Mercy is God’s unwavering commitment to our flourishing, even when we resist it.

True knowledge is the moment we finally see mercy for what it is:

  • the patience that meets our impatience

  • the tenderness that meets our fear

  • the steadiness that meets our chaos

  • the invitation that meets our shame

True knowledge is recognizing mercy as the atmosphere of God’s presence.

True knowledge is trust

You can know about mercy and still not trust it. Many of us carry the suspicion that mercy is conditional, or temporary, or fragile. We imagine God’s mercy as something that might run out if we push too hard or fail too often.

True knowledge dissolves that fear.

It is the deep, interior shift from “I hope God is merciful” to “I know God is mercy.”

This is not intellectual assent. It’s the kind of knowing that settles into the bones.

True knowledge is participation

Once you truly know mercy, you begin to practice it. Not perfectly—never perfectly—but sincerely. You find yourself:

  • softening where you once hardened

  • listening where you once dismissed

  • forgiving where you once clung to injury

  • offering compassion where you once offered critique

True knowledge of mercy makes you merciful. It’s the kind of knowing that reshapes your posture toward the world.

True knowledge is union

Ultimately, true knowledge is not something we possess. It’s something we share. To know mercy is to be drawn into the life of the One who is mercy. It’s a form of union—quiet, subtle, but unmistakable.

The Psalm Prayer is asking for that kind of knowing: a knowing that changes us, a knowing that frees us, a knowing that makes us resemble the God we seek.

True knowledge of mercy is not information. It is intimacy.

And once you have tasted it, you cannot unknow it.

Read more Morning Prayer posts: MSI Press Blog

Note about Morning Prayer: Each morning prayer post reflects on one phrase from the Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. which can be found in the iBreviary (a downloadable app), Universalis (website) or Divine Office (publication and website). Post may be assisted by AI in image generation and content (research and/or wording).


Morning Prayer posts inspired by Being Catholic in Troubled Times (Dennis Ortman)


Book Description:

These are times that try our souls. This book is addressed to all, not just Catholics, who search for deeper meaning in tough times. Our age is marked by division and alienation. We long for some message that will bring peace to our world and our hearts.

This book suggests that the Catholic faith can provide strength in these troubled times. The word "catholic" means "all-embracing, universal." Nothing is excluded in the catholic mind. The truth that sets us free can be found everywhere, especially in unexpected places. It is often hidden in plain sight. In our darkest moments, we find new light and life. When we are most despairing, a ray of hope shines through.



Dr. Dennis Ortman, former priest and current psychologist, is the author of Anger Anonymous, Anxiety Anonymous, Depression Anonymous, Being Catholic in Troubled Times, and Life, Liberty, and COVID-19.


For more posts by and about Dennis and his award-winning books, click HERE.



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