New Insights in Human Life

"Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you! Lo, you were within, but I outside, seeking there for you, and upon the shapely things you have made I rushed headlong – I, misshapen. You were with me, but I was not with you. They held me back far from you, those things which would have no being, were they not in you." Saint Augustine in  his Confessions...

Let us also reflect with the congregation singing this magnificent hymn here at St. Anne's Cathedral  in Belfast (named Love Divine):
"Finish then thy new creation - pure and spotless let us be".

The allegory of the cave, or Plato's Cave, was presented by the philosopher Plato where a group of prisoners are in chains inside the cave. They watch shadows projected on the wall from objects passing in front of a fire behind them, and give names to these shadows. The shadows are the prisoners' reality; for they know no better life. They can discover fire and make light of it only when they are set free from the cave. In ancient cultures and civilizations, very impressive monuments were discovered. In southwestern France, the Cave of Lascaux contains over 600 parietal wall paintings that cover the interior walls and ceilings of the cave. The paintings represent primarily large animals, typical local and contemporary fauna that correspond with the fossil record of the Upper Paleolithic time. The drawings are the combined effort of many generations, and with continued debate, the age of the paintings is estimated at around 17,000 years BC. 

In ancient Egypt, the Pyramids contain the mummified bodies of Egypt's pharaohs together with food for their nourishment after they come back into their bodies; for they were considered gods or semi-gods (see this recent YouTube clip). It's a theory that stems from the Biblical description of text in the Old Testament, and has been around since at least the sixth century, when Saint Gregory of Tours wrote: "They are wide at the base and narrow at the top in order that the wheat might be cast into them through a tiny opening, and these granaries are to be seen to the present day." The pyramids are designed large at the bottom and get sharply small at the top to attract the rays of the Sun thought to be the source of life. The same ideas are found in ancient stories of Babylon including the "Tower of Babel" where people with the same language build a tower to reach up to God in heaven...But they end up speaking different languages and are, therefore, scattered...

The ancients worshiped gods or God - The early human tribes buried their dead. They communicated and collaborated in order to survive.  
Bishop Robert Barron gave an introduction to the above worship here. In another lecture he said that the Bible should be read from the last book (Revelation) to the first (Genesis) - Listen here.
The most enlightening is Bishop Barron's comment on the meaning of the Trinity which is the central dogma of Christianity - Here. He also touched upon the cosmos here including  the Jesuit visionary Fr. Teilhard de Chardin (praised by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI here) and Fr. Georges Le Maitre who was involved in determining the Big Bang Theory.
Now we come to a humble reflection on the homily given by Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB at Holy Rosary parish last Sunday (February 2, 2019) - The text can be found here. Fr. Callam questions whether our priorities over the past 40 years have changed from the sacred to entertainment and sports in the more secular society that we live in. He asks for God's mercy upon us.  
On the same Sunday, the Jesuit Fr. Henri Boulad gave a homily on the presentation of Jesus as Simeon took him in his hands, blessed God and said to his mother the Virgin Mary "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against  and a sword will pierce through your own soul also that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." Venerable Fulton Sheen gave a beautiful answer here. However Fr. Boulad questions how today leaders of nations can easily forget the needs of their people and work for their own ambitions...It is true...
But why should we care about the cosmos and God who created it through His Word ?
I should again humbly share a summary sent to me about posts on my blog re the Cosmos - Here it is:

Great resources for learning more about quantum theory (and its relationship to a Trinitarian God)

There is an enormous corpus of talks, articles, commentaries, and youtube presentations focusing on one of the strangest discoveries of the 20th century: quantum mechanics and its startling attendant features, the principles of uncertainty and superposition. When you consult the resources identified in this post by Mr. George Farahat, be prepared to increase your understanding of how quantum mechanics has changed our understanding of reality, and how it relates to theology.

Two phenomenal lectures by two outstanding professors in two countries have enlightened research about the vast cosmos we live in and its quantum fields that penetrate every creature on earth.

The first is a lecture given by Professor Leo Kowenhoven at Delft University in the Netherlands, 2015 (here). In his talk, Professor Kowenhoven shows how nature itself works through quantum processes. He uses the example of a plant leaf which takes the light of the Sun. Through quantum superposition, electrons find a way to efficiently bind to the oxygen molecule, a process essential for human life. He goes on to explain how “qbits” are necessary in building quantum computers and reveals that he and his team have already made these “quantum bits” in the lab. Some of the most interesting ideas come near the end of the talk (starting around the 11th minute) when he lists the big challenges that super quantum computers can help solve, such as: more efficient energy use and storage, better airplane design, optimization for robotics, machine learning, and the use of nanotechnology in healthcare. 

The second lecture, “The Real Building Blocks of the Universe” was given by Professor David Tong at Cambridge University in 2017. In a brilliant summary of quantum theory, he reveals that there are 16 “fields” that interact in a “harmonious dance.” Along the way, Tong also discusses Einstein's Theory of General Relativity (space-time flow), J. J. Thomson's discovery of the electron, Ernest Rutherford's model of the atom (a nucleus made of protons and neutrons with the lighter electrons moving around it), Faraday's discovery of electromagnetism, James Clerk Maxwell's work, Schrodinger's Wave-Particle Equation, Heisenberg's Principle of Uncertainty, and the thought-experiments of Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Rosen.

Black holes and quantum theory

A great explanation of black holes, by a panel of experts found in this 2015 World Science Festival presentation, was delivered in the presence of the late British physicist and black hole expert, Professor Stephen Hawking. The presentation also explains the relationship between black holes and quantum theory.

Astonishment at quantum behaviour

In 1982, Alain Aspect and his team were able to experimentally prove that two photons emitted from the same atom will still be in contact tens of miles away. The reader may wish to listen to his lecture here, animated by his love for and “astonishment at” quantum behaviour.

Quantum theory and its relationship to a Trinitarian God

In the printed word, much of the material written by Sir John Polkinghorne, retired professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge University, is very informative and insightful. In one of his latest books, “Quantum Physics and Theology” (2008), he comments on how “relationship” is being discovered even at the subnuclear level: 

“Quantum theory brought to light a remarkable form of entanglement between subatomic particles that have once interacted with each other (the so-called EPR effect), which implies that they remain effectively a single system however far they may subsequently separate spatially—a counterintuitive togetherness-in-separation that has been abundantly confirmed experimentally as a property of nature. The physical world looks more and more like a universe that would be the fitting creation of the trinitarian God, the One whose deepest reality is relational.” -Sir John Polkinghorne

Dr. Stephen Barr has written extensively on the relationship of quantum physics and theology as well. (See, for example, his article in First Things here).

What can we conclude?

The above resources reveal and help explain the 2 most important observations in quantum physics:

1. The probabilistic nature of particles which yields the Uncertainty Principle

2. The communication between particles at long distances (quantum entanglement)

From 2 above, we can say that everything must be in a relationship. In Christianity, the concept that God is relatedness or relational is found not only in Holy Scriptures (see for example 1 John 4:8; John 10:30; Col 1:15-19; Phil 2: 6-11; John 15), but also in doctors of the Church like St. Thomas Aquinas and, in our days, Bishop of Rome Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.

If this is true, then we can say that the cosmos is signed by the stamp of the Triune God of Christians. 

George Farahat holds a Masters degree in Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He is a retired systems analyst who now uses his time to pursue numerous interests which include Biblical theology, anthropology, history of civilizations, and information technology. He regularly shares his insights on his blogspot Today’s Questions. The original post can be found here. 

Daniel Callam on the Life of Modern Souls and the Need for the Mercy of Jesus

“But who can endure the day of his coming . . . ? he is like a refiner’s fire . . . and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.”[1]

A

re there passages from the Bible that frighten you, or at least make you think twice about yourself and your behaviour? Thomas Merton—a well-known religious figure of a generation ago—was made uneasy by Matthew 6.5: “Amen I say to you, they have received their reward,” words used by Jesus to describe the recognition the Pharisees received when they practised their piety publicly, in order to excite admiration among the people. And that certainly is meagre recompense compared to the glory that awaits the faithful servants of the Lord: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”[2] A text I find unsettling is also found in Matthew: “The Queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it.”[3] Let me explain why I find this verse a continual challenge.

In 1959, after my graduation, I left Saint Michael’s College here in Toronto, returning to take up residence there after an absence of more than fifty years, in 2012. Not surprisingly, when I first began moving around the campus, images from the past crowded into my mind. In what is now a meeting room under Saint Basil’s church, to take one instance, there had earlier been a chapel frequented by the twenty-five seminarians who lived and studied at the College in those days. I can picture it as it was, with the altar against the front wall, flanked by statues of the Blessed Virgin and Saint Joseph. As I recall, we were very devout, almost monastic, in the simplicity and severity of our lives, and I sometimes wonder if the spectre of my former self, when I was a young man, might not, like the Queen of the South, arise at the judgment to rebuke my loss of fevour and religious observance. And I also sometimes ask myself what Catholics of the Middle Ages would have to say to us if they were somehow able to join us in the celebration of Candlemas, today’s feast of the Purification of Mary. In mediæval times Candlemas was a major religious and social event,

marked by one of the most elaborate processions of the liturgical year, when every parishioner was obliged to join in carrying a blessed candle [which] afterwards would burn before Our Lady’s altar. . . . The people took candles away from the ceremony, to be lit during thunderstorms or during times of sickness, and to be placed in the hands of the dying. [The use of candles] and the imagery of light in the ceremonies was derived from Simeon’s song, in which the child Jesus is hailed as “a light to the gentiles”[4]

a phrase we have just heard in today’s Gospel. That’s what it was like to live in a Catholic country, where the liturgical seasons and the great feasts determined the rhythm of daily life—in the home, in business, in courts and palaces.

Is there is anything quite like that in our society? What about professional sports—Will you be watching the super bowl this afternoon?—or the entertainment industry? Are not, in fact, the Oscars an annual event that a lot of people mark on their calendars? And are we not as keen to learn about the titillating goings-on of athletes and actors as our ancestors in the faith were to hear about the saints? In any case we decidedly do not live in a religious society, and as religiously minded people we must at times feel the lack. Surely it would have been easy to be devout long ago, when the rhythm of life was determined by the Church’s calendar. The practices of devotion, such as processions and pilgrimages, novenas, fasting and feasting—all these were woven into the fabric of everyday life. How different it is today; they, unconsciously perhaps, functioned in a Catholic culture, and we, equally unconsciously, function in ours. If we are honest with ourselves, shall we not admit that our moral and cultural convictions, for the most part, are indistinguishable from those of our non-believing contemporaries? On the other hand, it requires more gumption to practise our faith and to witness to it nowadays than in the past. They were carried along by social custom, but we have to swim upstream, against the current. This fact may be some response to the rebuke of those ghosts from the Middle Ages who alongside the Queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it.

Whatever the period, past or present, the essence of our faith remains constant, and, like our mediaeval counterparts, we recognize Jesus as a “light for revelation to the gentiles and the glory of his people Israel.” He still comes to his temple, and he still expects us to incorporate the Gospel into our lives; the stakes today are as high as they were seven hundred years ago. The prophet says as much in the first reading: “But who can endure the day of his coming . . . ? he is like a refiner’s fire . . . and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.”[5] There’s another fearsome verse to summon up that over-worked Queen of the South, one echoed by Saint Peter when he wrote that our faith is to be tested by the refiner’s fire,[6] just as the ore is smelted until the slag rises to the surface to be skimmed off, leaving the pure gold behind. Given this text—and there are many others like it—“we have cause to be uneasy.”[7] It follows that we have all the more reason to place all our hope in Jesus, about whom the Letter to the Hebrews says: “he himself was tested by what he suffered, [so that] he is able to help those who are being tested.”[8]a

---

[1] Malachi 3.2-3.

[2] Matt 25.34.

[3] Matt 12.42.

[4] Eamon Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992), pp. 16-18.

[5] Malachi 3.2-3.

[6] 1 Pet 1.7.

[7] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, book 1, chapter 5.

[8] Heb 2.18.