He asked us, not what our view of God is, but where we got it. This is a guess for most of us, isn't it? Can we accurately trace the evolution of our view of God over the course of our lives?

I kept it simple: I said that my view of God comes from the Sermon on the Mount and is reinforced by the Christians I know who are all so nice and kind. "They must be reflecting God," I surmise.

He accepted that answer, this wasn't a time of correction or clarification, no "right" or "wrong" replies, I suppose. I would have been embarrassed if he had challenged me for keeping it simple. He may suspect, always expects more from me.

Now, if you're even vaguely familiar with the Sermon on the Mount, not just the Beatitudes but the whole sermon, you might wonder what the text teaches about God's character. "Isn't it all about us?"

There's plenty of instruction on ethical behavior in these chapters. It's a sermon, after all. But behind it, the careful reader catches glimpses of the One for whom this right living is so essential.

Consider how Jesus interprets the Mosaic Law, in 5:21-48, stating in the last verse of chapter 5 the reason for our obedience: as your heavenly Father is perfect.

He may want to safeguard us from uncritically embracing a view wholesale, in the Catholic tradition, so that when the rain falls, and the floods come, and the winds blow and beat against that faith, it won't fall. The fundamentalist "package deals" that Catholics are sold and buy into are fatally flawed: one piece chips and the whole thing crumbles.

He's seen it in his own family. We've all seen it in our own families. The shipwreck.