There those of us that explicitly refuse to believe despite any event or evidence.  There are those of us who want to believe, but can’t, because we refuse to make the effort.  There are those of us who can’t believe because of the barriers created by our own selfish ego (because the self simply cannot see beyond its own self).  Then there are those who believe, because they choose to make the effort and build on the foundations given to them by their family and tradition.  Ultimately however, no one of us can say that they are a true believer, because to be a true believer of Christ means to change, and ultimately to sell all one has and follow him.

Nothing can satisfy the emptiness that death brings into one’s life.  Whether it is the contemplation of one’s own inevitable death, or the death of a loved one, darkness and emptiness prevail.  When we loose a loved one, we may choose to try and bring closure through the many occupations of our world, but on the occasions that life brings us to the edge, the emptiness is quick to re-emerge, as if its non-existence in our life was nothing but an illusion. 

One could even argue that the many forms of religion in human history have mostly emerged out of the innate desire in human understanding to bring meaning to death.  Whether we choose to accept religion for an explanation, or even deny religion, we cannot escape the underlying desire to bring meaning to death, and none the more, than when it confronts our life and our family.  Death confronts us as a void which threatens to destroy us as human beings and our ability to live happily. Our ability to bring meaning to death is a crucial factor in our happiness and well being. 

Of all the religions and the religious figures, only Christ is known to have resurrected from the dead.  Only Jesus Christ dies and conquers death in order to free us from the slavery of its darkness.  All other figures may reveal things about death, but only He conquers it and destroys its grip over us.  He is the only one who can truly satisfy the emptiness that death brings into our life.  Through Him we are given the strength and hope to continue with our earthly life, despite death, knowing that nothing can separate us from his love and that one day we will see all those whom we love and have lost.

The idea that our future is written is ultimately an illusion because it necessarily means we have no choice in our own destiny. Although God, who is omniscient, knows the possible outcome of any decision we may choose in our life, this foreknowledge does mean that we no longer have a choice. Our future may be known by God, but it is not predetermined, and God never takes away the very gift of freedom which makes us creatures created in the image of our creator.

There are special cases however, where God predestined someone for a specific task which is necessary for the salvation of the human race. Take the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary, for example, she was predestined to carry the Son in her womb and God chose her for a specific task. The same goes for St Paul, who himself recognises that some are predestined in order for God’s good work to take root in an otherwise evil world. For the rest of us however, our future is not written, and we have a say in our destiny.

I do not see what all the fuss is about when it comes to science and religion.  Take the theory of evolution for example, even that would assert that modern day Hommo Sapiens must have originated from one male and one female who were, as the argument states, smarter or more able to adapt to their environment than their predecessors. And based on empirical evidence, even science has had to take seriously the near death experiences (NDE) data which is emerging from the ever increasing documented occurrences (which is said to be over fifteen million in the United States).  I was watching a documentary on near death experiences called The Final Frontier, where scientists themselves had to affirm that a phenomenon of heaven and hell exists, despite the differing theories on it.  The scientist concluded that “you die the life you live”, and that what one experienced directly at the moment of death was beyond ones own control, yet highly associated with the kind of life one lived.  In the end, science can only conclude that there are things that exist beyond its language (or explanation).  In other words, when an honest scientist seeks an explanation for oil coming from a statue of the Virgin Mother, and can find none, then they must write that this is true yet we do not have the language to explain it (as is the case at the House of Miracles in Guildford NSW).  Religious people need not fear science or the propaganda that it will somehow disprove God.  On the contrary, we should encourage scientists to continue their study of data and document it truthfully.  We should also remind ourselves that science is not immune from the human condition, and just like all knowledge and power, can be used for the wrong reasons.  Science is a friend, yet it is a human creation, a human language, and will never be able to silence the moral judgements we rightfully ask of it.

God’s address to Adam, Eve and Creation in Genesis Chapter 3 is not so much a prescription as it is a diagnosis.  To put it in other words, God is telling humankind what created justice prescribes for those who choose not to obey the ways of its Creator.   As a result of what has been done, God tells Adam, this is what will happen to you:  you will be cursed because you have eaten from the tree of death, the tree of judgment between good and evil.  The tree of judgment assumes the place of God, in that it assumes the ability to know what good is, and what evil is.  

 In God’s address to man and woman in Genesis Chapter 3, God is telling us about the irreversible consequences of such an action, which like all the other actions in the world set off a chain of effects far greater than what can be seen and heard.  It is only because God is omniscient that God can inform us of the future consequences of our actions – or what they will lead to.  Our actions are powerful beyond the abilities of our imagination.  Each time we utter a word, or act in the slightest way, we mark the world in which we live, in ways we cannot even conceive.  I may think that being angry at home only affects me and my immediate family, but it goes beyond the confines of my immediate existence into the universal world in which I live.  And the painful truth is that we have all suffered because of one mans sin (Rom 5:12), and the consequent evil which has resulted.  That spark ignited a fire which could only be extinguished by Christ, and the new creation (Rom 5:19). 

 Knowing all things, God tells man, woman and the serpent what will happen as a result of their sin.  Before the fall, our relationship with nature is unified, as it will be in the new creation.  God has given us the ability to be in harmony with nature and be one with creation, and the ability to communicate with animals.  St Francis of Assisi and St Jerome are people who have experienced this in their life.   Because we were created like this, the serpent is able to try and convince Eve that we could be Wise like God.  Sin fractures this relationship we originally had with nature, and we loose all our communication with it, as is highly evident in our own period of history.  Now it appears as though we are often at war with nature as we are ravaged by larger and more costly natural disasters.  We are often horrified, and rightfully so, when a Tsunami kills hundreds of thousands, turning our blame straight to God, whilst wars and humanly made famine continue to kill millions.  This is only one fractured way of thinking that comes from sin.  Man and Woman hid from God after their actions, as a natural result of their actions, and in a sense we still hide from Him today.  An Immaculate heart weeps far more than we are able too, each time a human dies in this world, regardless of the cause, yet we are able to direct our minds to him only in blame and anger.  We choose an evil world, most of the time not even knowing so, and we rebel against the things that happen to us as a result.  Such is the human condition which sin has shaped.  Despite the earthly opinion we may develop during our short time on this earth, God knows what the problem is, and has set a cure into place.  A cure that will take time yet will be universal in its outcome.