The question "Who is God?" points us directly to the Incarnation, the ultimate way God reveals Himself in Jesus Christ. By becoming human, God shows us His desire for a personal relationship, sharing in our struggles and offering redemption through His love.
When we try to define God as just a "what," we overlook the deep mystery of the Incarnation. This perspective diminishes a core truth of Christianity: God is not just the Creator but also our Redeemer, the Shepherd who knows His followers and invites them into a relationship.

Viewing God as merely a cosmic force or energy, instead of as a personal Trinity, limits our ability to truly worship and connect with Him. God is not an abstract idea; He is a "Who" that inspires love and respect. While a "what" might spark curiosity or admiration, it doesn’t foster the personal connection that draws us into worship.

True worship in Christianity is not just about recognizing God's greatness. It’s a personal encounter with the living God. For instance, the Mass is a powerful expression of this relational worship, uniting us with Christ through His sacrifice and the Eucharist.

If we see God only as a "what," our worship can become dry and intellectual, focusing more on abstract ideas than on building a genuine relationship with Him. This perspective misses the true purpose of worship: to connect us with the Triune God. Christianity invites us into a loving relationship with God, rather than just asking us to contemplate a faceless concept.

Many think of God as merely a concept instead of a Being (Being Itself) with a personality. As Christians, we believe that God has personhood. Reducing God from a "Who" to a "What" makes it impossible to know Him. When we ask, “What is God?” instead of “Who is God?” we shift how we perceive and relate to Him.

Defining God as a "what" makes God a concept or force of nature, removing the personal, relational dimension central to the Judeo-Christian understanding of God. In Scripture, God reveals Himself as "I AM" (Exodus 3:14) and as a Father who seeks a covenantal relationship with His people. To reduce God to a "what" undermines this relational dynamic, turning Him into an impersonal principle rather than a loving, self-revealing Being.

If God is merely a "what," the intimate connection between Creator and creation is lost. Prayer becomes less about communion with a personal God and more about contemplating an abstract ideal. This alienates humanity from the very relationship that defines and fulfills our existence. God has personhood. God is a “Who” and not a “What.”

Saying "God is love" (1 John 4:8) is true, but this love is not an impersonal force. It is the active, self-giving love of a triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is why we don’t ask “What is God,” but “Who is God.” Love, in this context, is not merely a "what" but a "who": a communion of Persons whose love overflows into creation. When God is reduced to an abstract notion of "pure love," the dynamic nature of divine love—expressed in Christ's incarnation, death, and resurrection—is obscured. Love becomes a vague, undefined sentiment rather than a concrete, self-giving act that reveals God's nature and transforms humanity.
 
Viewing God as a "what" rather than a "who" subtly dehumanizes our relationship with Him. If God is not a person but a principle, we may begin to treat God as a tool for achieving our own ends—seeking "love" as a means to personal fulfillment rather than as a call to self-giving and communion.
 
This impersonal view of God also leads to a distorted sense of morality. If love is abstracted from God's personal nature, it becomes subjective, shaped by human whims rather than divine revelation. The commandments and teachings rooted in God's will are dismissed as irrelevant or restrictive. Love requires a “Who” and not a “What.”

The disconnect between the sacraments, liturgical worship, and spirituality raises the important issue of the need for balance on our journey of faith. Religion and spirituality are not at odds but are two aspects of the same reality: we are journeying toward God. Emphasizing one of these realities at the expense of the other risks losing sight of the fullness of what it means to love God and be loved by Him.

In conversations with those who try to separate the two, it might be helpful to point out how the Church’s rituals, community, and teachings deepen and enrich one’s spiritual journey, providing direction and sustenance. Invite them to see love not just as an emotion but as a transformative encounter with God’s self-giving love. It calls us to give of ourselves through our liturgical worship, the sacraments, and our works of charity. Religion and spirituality are not separate; they are two aspects of the same reality.

The Catholic understanding of God is that His love is infinite, unchanging, and self-giving. This love is not abstract or passive; it is dynamic and relational, inviting us into the very life of the Trinity. To know God is to encounter this love fully, which transforms us and calls us to live in the same self-giving way.

Knowing God's love also means recognizing the necessity of community, humility, and obedience—not in a servile sense but to align ourselves with God's will. Liturgical worship and the sacraments help guide us in this alignment, offering wisdom and practices proven over hundreds of centuries. God is love, and this is the love of the Creator for His creation. Love is embodied and experienced within a community and is passed down from generation to generation.

The claim that "religion is false; I’m just trying to be spiritual" reflects a common sentiment in modern culture. Many seek the fruits of spirituality—peace, love, transcendence—but resist the structures and disciplines that religion offers. They overlook the importance of the sacraments and liturgical worship. This approach misses a key truth: religion is not a human construct but a divinely revealed means by which God draws us into communion with Him and each other.

Religion, particularly the Catholic faith, provides the "ladder" for an encounter with God. It offers a framework of prayer, sacraments, moral guidance, and a community that sustains us on our spiritual journey. These are not barriers to spirituality but essential supports. Without them, the pursuit of spirituality becomes self-referential, untethered, and susceptible to distortion.
 
The sacraments, for example, are tangible signs of God's love and grace. They anchor our spirituality in concrete, lived experience and connect us to the mystery of Christ's incarnation. By rejecting religion, one risks severing themselves from these profound sources of grace. Religion is essential for “spirituality” and spirituality is essential for religion.

From a Catholic perspective, love (or caritas, often translated as "charity") is far more than a fleeting emotional response. Love is an act of the will, a choice to seek the good of another, even when it costs us something. It is rooted in self-gift and self-sacrifice, as exemplified by Christ's passion and death on the cross. Emotions can accompany love, but they are not its essence. St. Thomas Aquinas described love as "willing the good of the other," which implies intentionality, commitment, and a deeper, spiritual dimension.
 
When someone equates love with emotion, they risk reducing it to something transient and self-centered, tied only to how one feels at a given moment. Authentic love, by contrast, involves a deliberate, ongoing decision to act for the good of others, even when it is challenging or inconvenient. Love is not simply an emotion; it is an act of the will.