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January 28, 2024: Science and Divine Revelation
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It pays to know our faith. In truth, of course. With any apparent confusion moving throughout the Church – for those who watch closely – over blessings and such, it pays to know our faith, and what God has truly taught us. Not through science, although science can be of great assistance in understanding certain aspects of the created order and our human bodies. In our search for truth in planetary or medical ways, if you will, and other ways too, the gift of science, created by God, has sustainable advantages and benefits toward helping us gain accurate understandings of certain parts of God’s created order and our dying bodies.
For example, science rightly puts forth in truth and accuracy that human life begins at the moment of conception. Anyone who has looked at an ultrasound cannot deny this truth, unless they have a false agenda, be it political or otherwise. The life of a child begins when it begins, at the very beginning, and not when the child becomes suddenly visible in the hands of a mother, father, doctor, nurse, or anyone in the vicinity of a birth. Science has provided all humanity with this most fundamental truth of our existence; that God created a “system” not to be messed with for bringing life into this world, fulfilling God’s words in Genesis to “be fruitful and multiply.” I’m filled with joy that my parents took these words most seriously. Some would say a little too seriously. But unless you’ve grown up in a large family, one would know less of the struggles and joys that accompany that of being in the midst of a well-sized family. My personal opinion is, I wouldn’t trade it at all for, as my mother used to say, “all the tea in China.” Nor all the tea that was present at the Boston Tea Party in December 1773. Which was a day when Lipton had a look of horror on their faces.
Science has blessed us with truth in many areas of human living. How can one not be fascinated by the outer reaches of the universe, and some of the photos that return to us here on lonely little Earth from out there? Or the psychology realm of science, where many folks will find assistance from professional men and women who share their wisdom and knowledge in this discipline, all geared toward helping someone who struggles with certain parts of human living. And there’s the social sciences with all its facts and figures regarding poverty, disease, homelessness, mental illness, viruses, and such. Social science is meant to provide us with some level of understanding that helps address the harder sides of human life, and why they happen. Why are there so many homeless people living in tents in the city parks of San Francisco, for example? Why is there a higher percentage of poverty in larger cities as opposed to smaller towns?
Thus, the great discipline of science, and the many lesser disciplines that make up the world of science, contain numerous benefits that allow us to better understand why we do what we do, and how, in some areas of human life, we can actually make life better and healthier for those around us in our world, our nation, our communities, and our homes.
Where science falls short, however, and where science is meant to fall short, is providing a fuller, deeper, and acceptable understanding of what God has revealed to us in and through his Church. Aka; Divine revelation. This revelatory path was first reserved for the ancient writers of the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Scriptures. As Catholics, we see the Old Testament as a set of divinely revealed books that point to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Especially in the story of Abraham, whom God promised would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. God said, “Abraham, even though you and Sarah are without child now, I want you to look up into the sky. As many stars up there as you see in this desert, that’s how many descendants you and your wife will have, give or take a few billion or more.” The story of Abraham is, obviously, beyond the realm and discipline of science to make happen or add any amount of understanding to the story. God needs no science to bring forth the promise he made to Abraham. What the story of Abraham in the Old Testament teaches us is the virtue of trust. How can science measure trust? Or love for that matter? To bring trust (and love) forward from Abraham to Jesus, who was the one seed promised by God to bring us back to good relations with God, do we trust (and love) all that Jesus has revealed to us in and through his life of 33 or so years? Science, as beautiful as it can be, is not a needed element for us to trust in God’s words that teach us, say, the Great Commandment, and all that flows from it.
I’ve mentioned this in the past, that science has no authority or capacity to alter or overpower any teaching God has handed on to us through Christ Jesus, the Son of God, through the Apostles, through the Church Fathers, or any leader (Pope or Bishop) in the Church at any time. I prefer the good people of St. Anne’s Church in Shrewsbury to understand this basic religious principle, and place it in your hearts and minds. Our faith in Christ Jesus is not a flowing sort of faith from one thing to another, where the colors of our faith get changed, altered, done away with, or anything of the sort. What was true when Jesus taught us through himself in his ministry, or through the writers of the New Testament who were blessed to have heaven’s truth revealed to them through the Holy Spirit who guided their religious writings in ways that can only be seen as lasting truth… What was true back then, remains true today, tomorrow, and until the Second Coming of Christ. God does not change his mind to satisfy our whims and lifestyles, especially when they are sinful whims and lifestyles. And certainly, God was not wrong at one time about faith and morals, waiting for science to correct him centuries later. This would be beyond absurd.
The theme of science helping us to understand our world, and even our bodies in deeper ways that are meant to assist us in positive ways, it circles back to some of the revealed words we hear proclaimed in this week’s first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy. A book where it seems Moses does all the talking. In his revelatory speech to the people of Israel, Moses offers a stark warning about getting it right. And not just getting God’s revelatory commandments and teachings correct, but keeping them correct. Or else. For any prophets, self-proclaimed or otherwise, out there nowadays, they may wish to pay very close attention to God’s revelation given through Moses to the Israelite people, and any people today who dare to take on a role of prophesying God’s word on behalf of the Lord. Moses said, “If a prophet presumes to speak in my name an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.” So, who wants to be a prophet?
Moses’ stern warning against those who lead others astray through their personal words and personal agendas and personal politics is clear. This may be the Old Testament, which some Christians may poo-poo, because “this was spoken well before Jesus arrived,” or “those words back then don’t apply any longer,” or, “they were meant for the Israelites only, not us.” Would this be true with the Ten Commandments, also found in the Book of Deuteronomy? Are the Ten Commandments no longer applicable because of their age and who they were given to? Of course not! They are viable today as they were the day Moses walked down the mountain with two heavy stones that almost broke the poor guy’s back.
When all is said and done here, the issue today of false prophets spewing false teachings about Christ Jesus, leading people astray toward condemnation rather than salvation, is as relevant now as it was in the Lord’s time, or Moses’ time. Speaking out loud to others what Christianity is authentically and in truth, and not a scientific or cultural made-up version of Christianity that satisfies a person’s ego or agenda, or seeks to satisfy someone else, such a person had best know their faith while vocally disbursing their thoughts of who the real Jesus is, and what he truly calls us to in our lives.
In the Catholic priesthood, the ultimate responsibility of any priest is to speak the truth of what Jesus has revealed and given to his Church. There is no excuse – none- for any priest to not know his faith well and with accuracy, and to preach and speak it knowing they are representing Christ Jesus in what they say to any segment of God’s flock. This holds true for every priest, whatever their name or position in the Church. Sadly, there are priests (prophets) who place their politics and whatever other worldly things above the truth of Christ, thinking that science or something else (culture) can alter said teaching. They put forth what they know to be an alter teaching that was not commanded by God, speaking an oracle that is human in nature. Will they die, as Moses says? Well, that’s not my decision. We’ll leave that to God alone. But the words of Moses hold true until the Lord returns.
For those who choose to speak, either publicly or in smaller arenas, such as family gatherings, the revelatory words and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, such folks are at their best when they represent Christ in humility and accuracy, knowing that what we speak is consistent with our faith in Christ, and not a false oracle flowing from the pressures of our present-day culture. Being a prophet can be a great blessing for those who understand their faith well, and are obedient to it. But there is also a side of prophecy that entails a grave danger for one’s soul and future resurrection. May we choose the faithful side of prophecy in a world that presently has too many false prophets speaking their own condemnation.