The new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster has just said that Christianity in Britain is near to being vanquished.
He has in mind the decline in Church attendance, the failure to believe in, or take account of, such things as Divine purpose for human life and life after death. This he believes is the cause of the break down of the spiritual and moral fibre of the nation - a spiritual and moral fibre that has been the foundation the best aspects of Western Civilisation.

In the university where I work as Chaplain and teach two modules, I often hear from undergraduates that science has disproved religion. (I have never heard it from the academic staff (mainly science academics).

Yet the further science advances the more obvious it becomes that fundamental mysteries which are in principle beyond the reach of science surround all our lives. These mysteries should at least prompt the quest for God. 
What are they? 

• Why do matter and energy exist? - Where did they come from?
• Scientific theories about the origin of the universe have to assume the initial existence of some kind of energy/law of nature - (eg: wave function of the Universe - Stephen Hawking’s phrase) - an energy/law of nature that led to matter/space-time/laws of physics in the big bang.
• But scientific theories cannot explain how the initial energy/laws of nature came to exist or why they exist or did exist.

• If God exists why does He exist? Was He created?
• Whether or not God exists we are face to face with the mystery: Why does anything exist at all?
– Stephen Hawking: "Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?" 
– JJC Smart (atheist philosopher): "Why should anything exist at all? - it is for me a matter of the deepest awe."

Some believe the questions 

• 'What is life?'
• 'What is consciousness?', 
• 'Are beauty and morality objective realities?' 

 

 

also give rise to fundamental mysteries.

The existence of personal beings such as you and me must mean that the source of the mystery cannot be mere blind matter but be Himself (we dare no longer say 'itself') personal.

However imperfectly we all know something of the meaning of 'love'. He then must be great love.

Another mystery facing  us all is the existence of the opposite of goodness and beauty - the sheer evil and ugliness of so much of life.

How do we bring the existence of goodness and evil together?

There is one way for them to be brought together and that is in the Cross of Christ. It was on the cross that our Creator's great love and wisdom were fully shown. It was there that He took our sin, suffering and injustice to Himself. By the resurrection of Jesus we, together with all creation, are restored to the hope of eternal goodness.

Too good to be true?
Yes it too contains its own mystery and awe. 
But there is no other way to understand the existence of: the universe, the world, human lives, beauty and goodness. 

In the death and resurrection of Jesus we see the eternal self-giving love of God. 
Opening our hearts to it we find a reality beyond this world so that our life in this world is given meaning and purpose.

May that be true for all who read this.