The wonders of creation lead us to God
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By: Father Shay Cullen
Blind faith is not necessarily a good thing. For anyone to ignore the knowledge discovered by science that shows us the magnificence and integrity of creation is to turn away from the truth and lose contact with the power of infinite goodness.
If we think and meditate about the creation of the universe, the formation of planet earth and the evolutionary emergence of life, we can’t but look for deeper and more significant meanings. The innate desire to know and understand makes us ask how the universe can be infinite. From where and how did matter come to be, and will it ever cease to exist?
The great thing about being an intelligent human is that, we can contemplate our own self-consciousness; we can be astonished to know that we know and that we think about ourselves and the universe from whence we came.
The more we see the magnificent photographs of deep space taken by giant telescopes (wonders of human ingenuity in themselves) and see the galaxies and formation of new stars billions of times bigger than our tiny sun we cannot but be overawed by such magnificence and ask why does it exist at all. For those with Internet access such mind boggling pictures are instantly available at http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/
When we see the wonders of the natural world on this planet, what greater awe and respect can we have. We must see how all species evolved through the urge to survive and the power of natural selection and adaptation. None of this conflicts with a mature informed and educated faith. The “how” is a matter of science, the “why” can be a matter of faith. These natural truths and wonders and the unfolding of life have led countless people, scientists included, to think deeply on the complexity and the purpose of life. They have led many to believe in the existence of a supreme intelligent being of infinite goodness present in us and all creation.
The goal and purpose of human life for some, is to continue to create the ideal environment in which the human spirit will evolve sufficiently to be one with this infinite power and energy of goodness and by supernatural selection survive beyond death.
Our Spiritual maturity and survival depends on our ability to preserve the natural world. Sadly, most humans fail to mediate, think and understand their natural origins and dependence on all of creation. Considering that we are an intimate part of the natural world and have emerged from it. We need to have greater respect for living organisms, their habitats and environment that allows them to survive. We, too, need them to survive ourselves. Human intelligence and ingenuity has led us to be the dominant species on planet but a destructive one too.
In destroying and damaging the corals, forests, rivers and atmosphere we are endangering all our fellow species and threatening our own well being and health.
Here in the Philippines, the humble sea snail has given us a new pain killing drug a thousand times more powerful and effective than morphine. Its venom is a deadly toxin used to paralyse the nervous system of its prey and make it an easy meal. The chemical composition of the venom is now copied and we have Prialt, a drug that will spare humans unbearable pain.
The deep-Sea sponge found in New Zealand has given up it secret, a compound that has an impressive record so far destroying tumours in humans.
Had the Philippine Sea snail or deep-sea sponge been driven to extinction by human neglect and destructiveness, like so many more species these rare discoveries would have been lost for eternity. Had the United States Senate voted to open the Alaskan wilderness to the oil industry for drilling and exploitation, terrible destruction would soon follow. Thanks to the forces of infinite goodness prevailed.
Scientists are relying more on natural processes and products as the source of new drugs to help us survive and live happier and healthier lives. We need to humbly accept our dependence on the natural world and protect it as we would ourselves. After all we ‘can’t live without it. [End]
