Science--Revelation of God's Handiwork

    I am beside myself every time I hear someone say something like "I don't care what the scientists are saying I rely on God."  People are using this as a justification for not wearing masks and ignoring stay at home directives.

   Science, my friends, is not opposed to religious belief.  Science merely tells us what the Creator has given us. Many theologians tell us that creation or nature  is the first book of the Bible.  The catechism of the Catholic Church tells us basically the same.

  So what does this mean in terms of the present situation?  For me the good Lord created viruses. He also gave us intelligence.  That intelligence has lead people to learn about viruses and how they spread.  As an intelligent human being I accept that in order to be safe I need to take certain measures. Wearing a mask in public and social distancing is not a political statement, it is following the advice of expert scientists.

   On a deeper level listening to scientists ought to lead to a deepening of our religious convictions.  Understanding evolution and the 13+billion years of the history of the universe for me deepens my faith in a Creator. It also leads me to deepen my understanding of the Christ mystery. The letter to the Colossians tells us "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible. . .He is before all things,and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1, 16-17). WOW. I look at the images from the Hubble telescope which show the vastness of the universe, the galaxies, stars, planets, the Quasars and the black holes and it challenges me to believe that all this is created in Him.

   I could go on and on but the point of this reflection is to ask people, to challenge then not to think that advances in science that seemingly toss faith out the window actually do so.  If one probes deeper one finds that faith is enhanced