God: Fact or Fiction?: Exploring the Relationship Between Science Religion and the Origin of Life

by Brendan Roberts

  If you feel lost from God or the Church, then know that God is waiting for you. He is longing for you to return. He wants to give you back your dignity, your inheritance of eternal life. It is up to you. God runs to you, saying ‘Welcome back my beloved child. I love you! All is forgiven.’ Recently I heard how someone came to a priest and asked, ‘What do I have to do to return to the Church?’ If you are Catholic or Orthodox then you can experience the Father’s love and forgiveness practically through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Do not be afraid! God is waiting for you.

  Angels When it comes to angels one tends to think of either celestial beings with enormous eagle-like wings or a beautiful female with an Irish accent, lol. Well you might think of the latter after watching the US television series, Touched by an Angel. While angels have appeared to people in human form they do not have bodies. In other words they are noncorporeal; they have no eyes, nose, ears, hands, etc; and they do not have any senses.

  So how do angels experience things? They do so purely by the intellect. ‘Intellect is the ability to know truths intuitively, to experience things not in a sensory way but on a direct intellectual level.’ Because they are pure intellect they have full knowledge of God. Therefore it is believed that after they were created, being creatures with free will and full knowledge, they could have one chance to be loyal followers of their Creator or not. Those defectors were led by the Angel of Light, Lucifer. This archangel upon his rebellion became known as Satan, the prince of lies who was so proud that he hated God. It is possible that his pride as well as his jealousy arose from the creation of humanity in the image and likeness of God and that angels were made to serve God and also humanity as St Paul says in Hebrews 1:14.

  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that such examples as the angelic presences to Abraham in Genesis are manifestations of God Himself. It says that angels’ ‘sole function is to witness to God and proclaim his activity’.13 Therefore angels represent God and always bring messages from Him and are like signposts pointing the way towards Him. We too have a choice; we can be roadblocks of God’s love or alternatively signposts pointing the way towards a healthy relationship with the Saviour of the human race.

  Prayer While prayer means to petition or request it is much broader than that. Prayer involves communication and can include petition as well as thanksgiving. We are requesting assistance from someone who has the authority and desire to grant our request. It is also communion with another as we seek to unite our wills and so be of one heart and mind with the one we are praying to. Prayer and worship are not the same. Therefore Catholics can pray to the Saints who have fought the good fight and are present with God in heaven.

  When we pray to God we communicate with Him through our soul (heart) engaging our intellect. He longs to communicate with us. This could come about, for example, by hearing a voice or an idea or inspiration coming to one’s mind, seeing a vision, thinking of some pertinent scripture which comes to us out of the blue or someone says something that inspires or challenges us.

  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the mystery of faith requires that the faithful be ‘conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father. This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God.’14 So it is clear that we are called to a personal relationship with God, a relationship of love, through prayer.

  St Therese of Lisieux says that prayer for her is ‘a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned towards heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy’.15

  Prayer comes from the heart which is ‘the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant’.16 It is a response to God’s word that speaks to the heart.

  The true aim of prayer involves surrender. We acknowledge our limitations and incompleteness before our Creator who knows us better than we know ourselves; He knows our past and future because the past, present and future are united in one eternal now for Him. Within this surrender to God is listening to Him and waiting upon His initiative. We can listen to God through His word, allowing it to transform us, and listening through the guidance of a Spiritual Director. Additionally one may listen to the presence and action of God in ordinary day life and be touched by a song, a poem or what a friend or even stranger says. The Gospels depict Christ spending time alone in prayer to His Father, especially before major events in His life. Prayer is also a response to Christ’s invitation to ‘Come and see’ (John 1:39). This response to God’s initiative calls for a lifelong commitment to be Christ’s disciple and follow Him through good and bad times.

  Prayer is a spiritual weapon. We can use it to beg God to rescue us, to heal someone sick, and to reject Satan. The Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, and can pass judgement on secret emotions and thoughts (see Hebrews 4:12-13). Thus we need to know and love Sacred Scripture, using it in our prayers. In our darkest hours, in our regular life, we should tap into the great source of life and strength, Sacred Scripture.

  Christ called God uniquely and intimately, ‘Abba’, Father. We too as adopted children of God can call God Abba. In doing so we acknowledge that even if we are to face a major challenge or have to go through suffering we will continue to love and seek God’s presence and action in our lives. We are called to an intimate and familial relationship with God; we belong as family to God and are heirs of Christ (Romans 8:14-17). Also because God is our Father we can question or complain to God. In addressing Him we can then acknowledge that no matter what happens in our life we can surrender to Him. In such surrender we are still listening and waiting on Him. Therefore we are strengthened to endure.

  If prayer is to be effective one should believe that God will respond, and remember that the purpose of any prayer is to strengthen and deepen our relationship with God, while our relationship with self and others can also be strengthened.

  God seeks to communicate with you. Prayer needs to permeate one’s life. It develops our trust in the loving Creator and our knowledge and love of our wonderful Saviour! Prayer is our life-source and like blood it is crucial to our survival. As communication with our loved ones is essential to any relationship, prayer too is essential for a relationship with God. Without regular prayer we are essentially cutting ourselves off from God’s guiding help in our lives and telling our Creator that we don’t need Him in our lives, except maybe for one or two hours on Sunday.

  Blessed Mother Teresa knew prayer was essential to her work for the poor. The good works did not come first and then prayer, but prayer came first and through the love of God (grace) flowed the service of others and her great love for them. In fact, God’s love emanated from Mother Teresa as she sought to top that love up with prayer.

  Someone who practices a particular religion, for example a Christian, Muslim, or Jew can’t just say they believe in God, go to a religious service and then for the rest of the week show no love to others nor spend time in prayer. Also they can’t worship God for just one or two hours of the week, and then for the rest act like He doesn’t exist. It seems such people try to give God only the minimum that they think is required. Sadly this does happen, and apparently, a lot. But this is not being true to ourselves, let alone to God; it is not being who we are called to be, fully human. God is longing to communicate with you; He is longing for you to spend time with Him.

  St Augustine’s commentator, Bishop Ullathorne of Birmingham (ordained bishop in 1865) wrote the following about God communicating with us:

  Let it be understood that we cannot turn to God unless we first enter into ourselves. God is everywhere but not everywhere to us; and there is one point in the universe where God communicates with us and that is the centre of our own soul. There he waits for us, there he meets us. To seek him we enter into our own interior.17

  Therefore we truly love God in the ce
ntre of our souls, and that place is somewhere that only God fulfills.

  Everything has been created through Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity as Scripture reveals: He is the image of the invisible God,

  the firstborn of all creation.

  For in him were created all things

  in heaven and on earth,

  the visible and the invisible,

  whether thrones or dominions or

  principalities or powers;

  all things were created through

  him and for him.

  He is before all things

  And in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17).

  God has also given the world the Communion of Saints, or put simply, our spiritual family – the extension of the Church in heaven that we can communicate with. Unfortunately it is only the Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, and the Anglican Communion that believe in the Communion of Saints. God has given them to us so that we will seek their prayers (their communication with God), just like we might ask someone to pray for us or appreciate someone who has done so. As I covered in Born to be Free Saints are those people that the Church has confirmed are not only already in heaven, but that their lives of exemplary devotion and witness of God should be emulated as they emulated Christ.

  There are many styles of prayer. These include such methods as the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius in which you visualise yourself as being a character in Sacred Scripture and use your senses, such as seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling what is happening. Using the imagination through this method is great for a prayer group event and many people who practice this on their own can find Sacred Scripture opened up in a more vivid, challenging and exciting way.

  There is also the Holy Rosary, a meditation founded by St Dominic in the 12th century, in which one reflects on the life of Christ. It is used by mainly by Catholics. However as a result some Muslims who have visited the pilgrimage sight in Medjugorje18 have also started praying the Holy Rosary. On 16 October 2002 Pope John Paul II in an encyclical letter suggested the addition of another ‘Mystery’ to the Rosary, the Luminous Mysteries, which contain more events from the life of Christ from Sacred Scripture. The faithful lovers of the Rosary have enthusiastically taken up this suggestion.

  An essential creed, the Nicene Creed was issued in AD 325 by the Council of Nicaea which is in essence a prayer. It is also an affirmation of Christian belief which sums up so much of the Christian faith and is proclaimed by many Christian denominations:

  We believe in one God

  The Father, the Almighty,

  Maker of heaven and earth,

  Of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, The only Son of God,

  Eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God,

  Begotten, not made,

  Of one Being with the Father; Through him all things were made. For us, and for our salvation, He came down from Heaven,

  was incarnate of the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary,

  And became man.

  For our sake he was crucified Under Pontius Pilate;

  He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again In accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into Heaven

  And is seated at the right hand Of the Father.

  He will come again in glory

  To judge the living and the dead, And his kingdom will have no end.

  We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, The giver of Life,

  Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son Is worshiped and glorified,

  He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in the one holy Catholic And Apostolic Church

  We acknowledge one baptism

  For the forgiveness of sins.

  We look for the resurrection of the dead And the life of the world to come. Amen.

  The theme of freedom permeated my first two books, and so I wish to raise it here. It is through a relationship with our Loving Creator, His Son who suffered and died for us, and the Holy Spirit the giver of life and love of the Trinity, that we are able to embrace that freedom. Prayer sets us free; you are called to be free. So take the steps to embrace that freedom.

  God calls everyone to know Him. He is calling us to pray, and so it is up to us to respond. We may answer, ‘No, go away’, ‘Later God, I’ve got no time’, ‘My favourite TV Program is on now’, or ‘Yes, Lord I can give you some time, give me the grace to pray, lead me, and teach me to pray.’

  The greatest prayer of all time, taught to us by God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the Our Father, which is a wonderful prayer to our loving Father:

  Our Father in Heaven

  may your name be held holy,

  your kingdom come,

  your will be done,

  on earth as in heaven.

  Give us today our daily bread.

  And forgive us our debts,

  as we have forgiven those

  who are in debt to us.

  And do not put us to the test,

  But save us from the Evil One (Matthew 6:9-13).

  Another popular prayer, especially for Catholics and Orthodox is the prayer to Our Lady, the Hail Mary. Most of it is actually taken directly from Sacred Scripture. The title itself consists of the first words of the greeting of the angel Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:28). St Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin in the 4th century, translated ‘highly favoured’ into ‘full of grace’. Mary was full of grace because she was full of the presence and action of God. This is confirmed with the words, ‘The Lord is with you’ (Luke 1:28). This echoes God’s promise to be with Isaac in Genesis 26:24, Jacob in Genesis 31:3, Moses in Exodus 3:13 and Joshua in Joshua 1:5). Mary’s being full of grace is also confirmed by Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth when she says ‘Blessed are you among women’ and ‘blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus (Luke 1:42).’

  Answer to Prayer Why is it that we believe that God only rarely answers our personal prayers rather than really answers them? The fact is that God is a loving God and He always answers your prayers. But fortunately and seemingly unfortunate for you at the time, God doesn’t always answer the prayer the way we want Him to or in some circumstances we try to tell Him to. His answers to prayers can be summarised as, ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘Wait’. So when He doesn’t say ‘Yes’ to a prayer which we really desired a ‘Yes!’for we might think that He has not answered our prayer – as if God has in fact ignored us. But God loves you and He knows you through and through, and therefore intimately:

  You created my inmost self,

  knit me together in my mother’s womb.

  For so many marvels I thank you;

  A wonder am I, and all your works are wonders.

  You knew me through and through,

  my being held no secrets from you,

  when I was being formed in secret,

  textured in the depths of the earth.

  Your eyes could see my embryo.

  In your book all my days were inscribed,

  every one that was fixed is there (Psalm 139:13-16).

  Yes God loves you and knows the best for you. Therefore the answer from God, your Creator, is in fact the best for you, even if it hurts so much. So next time you say a prayer, thank God that He loves you; thank Him for creating you and this glorious and awesome universe that we live in; and thank Him that He will answer your every prayer.

  Summary God loves you so much. The full magnificence of His love is really beyond our comprehension. The closest we can come is that Jesus’s Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension and Glorification were for you, me and all creation. In addition to these wonderful mysteries, Jesus is going to create a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1-4) in which there will be no more suffering. God is creating this for you because He loves you deeply! Mackenzie calls this the ‘interaction of the Being of God, as he creates, with what he has created’.19 Furthermore he says there is a co
st to God’s Being because of the overflowing love in creating another distinct and free being which depends on Him to exist as He upholds our existence by His loving will.

  The following hymn sums up this chapter beautifully: How Great Thou Art

  O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,

  Consider all the works Thy hands have made;

  I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

  Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

  Chorus

  Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee

  How great Thou art, how great Thou art (Repeat) When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

  When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

  And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;

  That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,

  He bled and died to take away my sin.

  When Christ shall come, with shouts of acclamation, And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,

  And then proclaim: ‘My God, how great Thou art!’

  Notes 1. Angela Tilby. Son of God (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2001), p. 31. 2. Mackenzie, Iain. The Dynamism of Space (Norwich: The Canterbury Press, 1995), p. 177.

  3. John Morton. Man Science and God (Auckland; New Zealand: Collins, 1972),

  p. 158.

  4. Ibid., p. 159.

  5. Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man, p. 295.

  6. Ibid., p. 289.

  7. Teilhard de Chardin, Hymn of the Universe, p. 25.

  8. John Calvin. Institute of the Christian Religion 1:1:2.

  9. Paul Ricoeur, Figuring the Sacred – Religion, Narrative and Imagination,