Fyodor Dostoevsky, a nineteenth century Russian novelist, wrote a book Notes from Underground. In the book the main character meets a scientist who tries to convince him that in a hundred years everything will be explained by science, that everything will be as clear as ‘two times two equals four.’ The man from underground whispers under his breath: ‘two times two equals four, two times two equals four.’ Then he asks himself: ‘What else will I do in such a world?’
My Dear Sisters and Brothers! I remembered that page from the Dostoevsky’s book when I read the Gospel for today in which ‘Jesus exclaimed: I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.’ The mere children here are not defined by their age but by their attitude to life. This attitude is all about their inquisitive mind which, by the way, should be the main characteristic of science. Let me give you an example of such a mere child with an inquisitive mind. It is Fr Michal Heller a theologian, physicist, astronomer who once met Richard Dawkins an ethologist, evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist. In the course of their conversation Dawkins said that God is not needed because everything can be explained by laws of physics. Then Fr Heller asked: ‘Where do the laws of physics come from?’ As he said later: ‘It was the end of our conversation.’
These days we know more then people did in the nineteenth century when Dostoevsky wrote his books. These days people know more then people did when Jesus walked the Holy Land. However I feel that I should bless Jesus’ Father and our Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that he still blesses our era with godly people, these mere children who may be annoying to some learned and clever because they keep asking the unsettling questions like Dostoevsky did in his book and Fr Heller did in his conversation with Dawkins. These questions come from them sensing that that our human world is bigger than what the laws of physics tell us or that two times two equals four.
In the Gospel Jesus points out to the fundamental source of knowledge. To reach this source we need to return to the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah from the Old Testament. Zechariah wrote about a king who would enter the City of Jerusalem riding a donkey. We recognise in Zechariah’s description a prophesy which was fulfilled on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey. Both the prophesy and its fulfilment indicate the humility of the king. We need such humility to be brave to ask big questions and to be openminded to accept the answers which may turn upside down our world and our knowledge. Over centuries the human world and knowledge have been turned upside down by various discoveries in different fields of science. Let’s remember that this is God’s revelation too. Gradually God has been revealing to humanity through the findings of scientists the mysteries of the world he created. Our God, our heavenly Father is not greedy, he doesn’t keep from us the knowledge which can benefit us.
However there is something which God has revealed through Jesus Christ. This revelation is that he is the Father of Jesus Christ and that he is our Father. If we think about the first and the most fundamental discovery every woman and man make it is that there is someone whom they can call mummy and someone whom they can call daddy. We don’t need sophisticated laboratories and extensive studies to discover this. It is revealed to us by the presence of these special people in our life. What Jesus reveals through his teaching and through his ministry is not limited to the fact that there is God in heaven. Jesus reveals that this God is yours and my Father.
Let us listen again to his prayer, to his conversation with God which we could hear in today’s Gospel. First Jesus says: ‘I bless you, Father.’ This is the foundation of what we need to know about God. God is our Father. Next Jesus says: ’Lord of heaven and of earth.’ God is Lord of heaven and earth but he is Lord of heaven and earth as Father.
My Dear fellow children of God! It is obvious that we live in the society which is secular and overwhelmed by science which isn’t seen as something what God keeps revealing to his children. We may ask ourselves the question which whispered the man from Dostoevsky’s book: ‘What else will I do in such a world?’ I believe that there is an exciting mission ahead of us. Not just to prove that there is God but to do what Jesus has done: to speak out that there is God who is our Father. That our world is not just determined by laws of physics but by the law of love of the Father who was at the beginning of it all and who by his loving providence nurtures us. Thus we discover a different warmth in this world. It is the warmth of the love of the Father.
With gratitude for having been given this revelation of having God as our Father I invite you pray with our heavenly Brother Jesus Christ the prayer from the Gospel: ‘I bless you Father, Lord of heaven and earth.’
My Dear Sisters and Brothers! I remembered that page from the Dostoevsky’s book when I read the Gospel for today in which ‘Jesus exclaimed: I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.’ The mere children here are not defined by their age but by their attitude to life. This attitude is all about their inquisitive mind which, by the way, should be the main characteristic of science. Let me give you an example of such a mere child with an inquisitive mind. It is Fr Michal Heller a theologian, physicist, astronomer who once met Richard Dawkins an ethologist, evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist. In the course of their conversation Dawkins said that God is not needed because everything can be explained by laws of physics. Then Fr Heller asked: ‘Where do the laws of physics come from?’ As he said later: ‘It was the end of our conversation.’
These days we know more then people did in the nineteenth century when Dostoevsky wrote his books. These days people know more then people did when Jesus walked the Holy Land. However I feel that I should bless Jesus’ Father and our Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that he still blesses our era with godly people, these mere children who may be annoying to some learned and clever because they keep asking the unsettling questions like Dostoevsky did in his book and Fr Heller did in his conversation with Dawkins. These questions come from them sensing that that our human world is bigger than what the laws of physics tell us or that two times two equals four.
In the Gospel Jesus points out to the fundamental source of knowledge. To reach this source we need to return to the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah from the Old Testament. Zechariah wrote about a king who would enter the City of Jerusalem riding a donkey. We recognise in Zechariah’s description a prophesy which was fulfilled on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey. Both the prophesy and its fulfilment indicate the humility of the king. We need such humility to be brave to ask big questions and to be openminded to accept the answers which may turn upside down our world and our knowledge. Over centuries the human world and knowledge have been turned upside down by various discoveries in different fields of science. Let’s remember that this is God’s revelation too. Gradually God has been revealing to humanity through the findings of scientists the mysteries of the world he created. Our God, our heavenly Father is not greedy, he doesn’t keep from us the knowledge which can benefit us.
However there is something which God has revealed through Jesus Christ. This revelation is that he is the Father of Jesus Christ and that he is our Father. If we think about the first and the most fundamental discovery every woman and man make it is that there is someone whom they can call mummy and someone whom they can call daddy. We don’t need sophisticated laboratories and extensive studies to discover this. It is revealed to us by the presence of these special people in our life. What Jesus reveals through his teaching and through his ministry is not limited to the fact that there is God in heaven. Jesus reveals that this God is yours and my Father.
Let us listen again to his prayer, to his conversation with God which we could hear in today’s Gospel. First Jesus says: ‘I bless you, Father.’ This is the foundation of what we need to know about God. God is our Father. Next Jesus says: ’Lord of heaven and of earth.’ God is Lord of heaven and earth but he is Lord of heaven and earth as Father.
My Dear fellow children of God! It is obvious that we live in the society which is secular and overwhelmed by science which isn’t seen as something what God keeps revealing to his children. We may ask ourselves the question which whispered the man from Dostoevsky’s book: ‘What else will I do in such a world?’ I believe that there is an exciting mission ahead of us. Not just to prove that there is God but to do what Jesus has done: to speak out that there is God who is our Father. That our world is not just determined by laws of physics but by the law of love of the Father who was at the beginning of it all and who by his loving providence nurtures us. Thus we discover a different warmth in this world. It is the warmth of the love of the Father.
With gratitude for having been given this revelation of having God as our Father I invite you pray with our heavenly Brother Jesus Christ the prayer from the Gospel: ‘I bless you Father, Lord of heaven and earth.’
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