Vatican II said we have to read the signs of the times. Today's physicists have given us a new sign that is as shocking as Galileo's claim that the earth revolves around the sun. This breakthrough will have a major influence on our theology and especially on our everyday spirituality. So it is worth at least this one Post.
I'll do my best to explain it one step at a time. And I welcome comments, corrections, etc.
Step 1: Until now, physicists understood the universe, including earth and ourselves, to be made up of physical, material beings. In their terms, everything and everyone is made of atoms. And atoms are made up of little balls called sub-atomic particles.
Step 2: Today's physicists have discovered that atoms are not material! They are not made of material particles. They are made of energy.
Step 3: Energy is usually described as the ability to do work, or to be something. Energy is potential, or possibility. Energy is not yet something material. Energy moves in waves. So energy is immaterial waves of possibility, i.e., of possible material things and people.
Step 4: The entire universe and everything and everyone in it is made of energy. Since energy is not material, everything is immaterial. Immaterial energy moves in immaterial "energy waves." The universe is a made of up an infinite number of waves of possibility.
Step 5: The universe expresses itself in the form of immaterial, living, conscious beings, e.g., immaterial insects, animals, ourselves. Therefore, the universe itself must be living and conscious. In fact, the universe is living consciousness! The universe is living awareness, universal being awake!
We live in a universe that we are aware of, and that is aware of us!
Step 6: This new consciousness gives us a new way to try to understand who God is. But first we must understand that God is Absolute Mystery. Mystery in this context is not ignorance, as in a Detective Novel in which we slowly find out who the murderer was. Mystery, as it applies to God, is Reality that is so great that it is inexhaustible. This means that the more we understand about God, the more there will be to understand, without end.
So our understanding of who God is is and always will be a human construct, limited by our human nature. That said, we can now say that since we are space/time, living, conscious images and likenesses of God, we can say that God is Eternal-Infinite Living Consciousness or Awareness. More fully, we can say that:
God is Eternal-Infinite, Living, Creative, Saving and World-Sanctifying and Evolving, Loving Consciousness/Awareness.
It will greatly help us in understanding who God is if we put aside our images of God as Someone, e.g., an old man with a white beard, "up there" or "out there." It gets worse when we try to imagine God as up there and everywhere down here at the same time.
With this new understanding, we can image God as filling the universe and earth with Living, Creative, Saving and World-Sanctifying and Evolving Love-Consciousness. This may take some time but it will be well-worth the effort, for the sake of our ongoing spiritual maturity and our Christ-like efforts in and for today's society.
Step 7: God's Eternal-Infinite Love-Consciousness is what Jesus took to himself at the instant of his conception in Mary's womb. If we want to "see" the divine Love-Consciousness, we can look at Jesus.
(Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9)
Step 7: How do we get from being immaterial waves of possibility, to being three dimensional, solid figures living in a three dimensional, solid world?
Here's what the physicists tell us: Using its infinite possibilities, the living-conscious universe creates individual, immaterial possibilities, e.g., immaterial galaxies with their immaterial stars and planets, our immaterial moon and earth with its immaterial soil, water, air, fish, animals, and immaterial selves. All are immaterial possibilities.
We ourselves are a spirit, i.e., an immaterial soul with an immaterial brain and immaterial body with immaterial senses. The universe puts the possible idea of a material earth and our material selves into our mind. Our immaterial mind shows these possibilities to our immaterial brain. Our immaterial brain excites our immaterial senses to sense these immaterial possibilities as if they are three dimensional, material objects in a three dimensional world and universe.
We are living, conscious, free, active participants in the conscious universe. We use our consciousness to create the three dimensional world and universe we live in! (For the scientifically minded, we create a hologram.)
As images and likenesses of God, we are called and empowered to act like God and care for the world that we create by bringing it the peace, justice and love of Christ. We are here to help "Thy Kingdom Come...on Earth."
Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name,
Announce his salvation, day after day
Tell God's glory among all the nations;
Among all the people, God's marvelous deeds.
(From Psalm 96)
I'll do my best to explain it one step at a time. And I welcome comments, corrections, etc.
Step 1: Until now, physicists understood the universe, including earth and ourselves, to be made up of physical, material beings. In their terms, everything and everyone is made of atoms. And atoms are made up of little balls called sub-atomic particles.
Step 2: Today's physicists have discovered that atoms are not material! They are not made of material particles. They are made of energy.
Step 3: Energy is usually described as the ability to do work, or to be something. Energy is potential, or possibility. Energy is not yet something material. Energy moves in waves. So energy is immaterial waves of possibility, i.e., of possible material things and people.
Step 4: The entire universe and everything and everyone in it is made of energy. Since energy is not material, everything is immaterial. Immaterial energy moves in immaterial "energy waves." The universe is a made of up an infinite number of waves of possibility.
Step 5: The universe expresses itself in the form of immaterial, living, conscious beings, e.g., immaterial insects, animals, ourselves. Therefore, the universe itself must be living and conscious. In fact, the universe is living consciousness! The universe is living awareness, universal being awake!
We live in a universe that we are aware of, and that is aware of us!
Step 6: This new consciousness gives us a new way to try to understand who God is. But first we must understand that God is Absolute Mystery. Mystery in this context is not ignorance, as in a Detective Novel in which we slowly find out who the murderer was. Mystery, as it applies to God, is Reality that is so great that it is inexhaustible. This means that the more we understand about God, the more there will be to understand, without end.
So our understanding of who God is is and always will be a human construct, limited by our human nature. That said, we can now say that since we are space/time, living, conscious images and likenesses of God, we can say that God is Eternal-Infinite Living Consciousness or Awareness. More fully, we can say that:
God is Eternal-Infinite, Living, Creative, Saving and World-Sanctifying and Evolving, Loving Consciousness/Awareness.
It will greatly help us in understanding who God is if we put aside our images of God as Someone, e.g., an old man with a white beard, "up there" or "out there." It gets worse when we try to imagine God as up there and everywhere down here at the same time.
With this new understanding, we can image God as filling the universe and earth with Living, Creative, Saving and World-Sanctifying and Evolving Love-Consciousness. This may take some time but it will be well-worth the effort, for the sake of our ongoing spiritual maturity and our Christ-like efforts in and for today's society.
Step 7: God's Eternal-Infinite Love-Consciousness is what Jesus took to himself at the instant of his conception in Mary's womb. If we want to "see" the divine Love-Consciousness, we can look at Jesus.
(Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9)
Step 7: How do we get from being immaterial waves of possibility, to being three dimensional, solid figures living in a three dimensional, solid world?
Here's what the physicists tell us: Using its infinite possibilities, the living-conscious universe creates individual, immaterial possibilities, e.g., immaterial galaxies with their immaterial stars and planets, our immaterial moon and earth with its immaterial soil, water, air, fish, animals, and immaterial selves. All are immaterial possibilities.
We ourselves are a spirit, i.e., an immaterial soul with an immaterial brain and immaterial body with immaterial senses. The universe puts the possible idea of a material earth and our material selves into our mind. Our immaterial mind shows these possibilities to our immaterial brain. Our immaterial brain excites our immaterial senses to sense these immaterial possibilities as if they are three dimensional, material objects in a three dimensional world and universe.
We are living, conscious, free, active participants in the conscious universe. We use our consciousness to create the three dimensional world and universe we live in! (For the scientifically minded, we create a hologram.)
As images and likenesses of God, we are called and empowered to act like God and care for the world that we create by bringing it the peace, justice and love of Christ. We are here to help "Thy Kingdom Come...on Earth."
Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name,
Announce his salvation, day after day
Tell God's glory among all the nations;
Among all the people, God's marvelous deeds.
(From Psalm 96)
