Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Readings:
Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40
Psalm 32(33):4-6,9,18-20,22
Romans 8:14-17
Matthew 28:16-20
Reflection:
I recently found myself watching a documentary hosted by the physicist Professor Brian Cox about how the universe came into being. As astrophysics is not generally an area of interest, I was fascinated to know that we have moved beyond the big bang theory to what happened before the big bang, and we now age the universe at about 13.8 billion years based on the history of light. The universe continues to expand at an accelerating rate and current theories are that it will continue to do this forever.
Cox does not believe in God but as a cosmologist, science begins for him with ‘we don’t know’ and seeking to find out. For him there is no evidence for a Creator, but he has also gone as far to say that there is not no evidence either, we just don’t know, but we also don’t know that the universe had a beginning or that it will have an end.
I appreciate Cox’s perspective; it’s based on more study of quantum physics than I will ever do. But if theology is faith seeking understanding as St Anselm defined it, I think we may be looking at the same thing of mystery from different sides. What caught me into the program was the beauty of the images being shown- nebula and galaxies of astonishing colour and incredible size. The statistics of millions of light years and the theory of perhaps even multiple universes were staggering. To think that we know that in all probability this has all come from an infinitely dense tiny ball of matter was a thing of amazement and spoke to me of the power of God. An infinite God of awe and wonder who transcends time and space.
Alison Gore is a parishioner at St Paul of the Cross, Glen Osmond. She works in education and formation.