Atom smasher to recreate Genesis

"The Big Bang that you didn’t hear was God’s voice when He spoke the Word and created the Heavens and the Earth." -- Barbara Snyder, Cumberland, Maryland

A physicist speaking on the project that scientists around the globe are applauding as a window on how creation began said on Fox News September 11 that the huge new atom smasher lurking 300 yards beneath the Swiss-Franco Alps will "recreate on a tiny scale the first chapter of Genesis."

Michio Kaku says "9,000 scientists have waited 14 years for this moment" to launch the machine trials that pick up where he says Einstein left off in a quest to "read the mind of God." He says, "About a year from now, it will be at full power," giving scientists answers to "fundamental questions about the universe."

Next month, Kaku, says, the machine will "recreate a piece of the Big Bang" -- a theory that speculates about the beginning of the universe 13.7 billion years ago.

Critics fear that the machine will create a black hole that will destroy the earth. In fact, a federal lawsuit has been filed to stop progress on the Large Hadron Collider. Kaku says "a lot of the hysteria around the machine are unfounded." He says mini-black holes created by the experiments are insignificant.

We would hope that the scientists' intentions are holy and that this progress will advance the betterment of mankind. Why would anyone would desire to know the mind of God? We strive to enter into the mystery of God's omniscience and seek to discover His divine will for our life's path when we pray. We can hope that our curious scientists will probe conscienably into these vast, quiet terrtories that seem too awesome to comprehend, with conseuquences potentially too awful to compensate, and that God will keep our world and all of us in His memory and mercy.

Barbara Snyder of Cumberland writes a poignant essay on the topic in today's Cumberland Times-News in response to a published Associated Press article about the September 11 test, in which she summarizes, "The Big Bang that you didn’t hear was God’s voice when He spoke the Word and created the Heavens and the Earth."

Perhaps the most beautiful celebration glorifying God's creation is Daniel 3:52-90, in which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego sing from 'midst the flames of the furnace:

""Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.]
Frost and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Nights and days, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
You springs, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
You sons of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
O Israel, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. For he has delivered us from the nether world, and saved us from the power of death; He has freed us from the raging flame and delivered us from the fire.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
Bless the God of gods, all you who fear the Lord; praise him and give him thanks, because his mercy endures forever."

by Nancy E. Thoerig 09-16-08

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

"Mary invites us daily to join our sorrows with hers, and to let her help us bear our cross."

"How could she bear it?" I contemplate Our Lady in her sorrow at the foot of Christ's cross. Is it possible for us to fathom the depths of her helplessness, the excrutiating pain of her pierced spirit? This was her son whom she saw humiliated, tortured, mutilated, murdered in a very public and disgraced way. This also was her God whom she brought into life and loved, along with those who believed in Him, in a very real and personal and hopeful way. From the time of Jesus' conception, then perhaps made most clear to us by her role in the first miracle at Cana -- in which Mary nudges her son, somewhat against His will, to begin His public ministry -- she cooperated with His path to the Cross. Her constancy and fortitude as His most faithful disciple doubtless helped Him bear the metaphysical weight of His cross. There she stayed with Him and bore the pain in His soul and her own, filled with infinite love for Him and His -- all of those who watched, and doubtless imitated her, and would for ages to come. Mary remains our supreme example of the power of selfless love to sustain us, and to help us share God's grace with those around us, particularly in the worst of times.

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The seven sorrows of Mary are:

1. Prophecy of Simeon
2. Flight into Egypt
3. Loss of the Child Jesus at Jerusalem
4. Meeting Jesus on His way to Calvary
5. Standing at the foot of the Cross
6. Jesus taken down from the Cross
7. Burial of Jesus.

Mary invites us daily to join our sorrows with hers, and to let her help us bear our cross.

by Nancy E. Thoerig 09-15-08

Prayers for Ike survivors

"And they had to walk away and leave it all to the whim of nature and the will of God."

Well, we just got word, rather conclusively, that my aunt and two cousins in Texas lost everything in Hurricane Ike. I say rather conclusively because we've not heard it yet directly from them. But my sister-in-law here in Mount Savage saw photos on Fox News and heard mention of my cousin's name as the one who submitted the pictures of his business (and home area) at Crystal Beach -- reduced, apparently, to a pile of rubble on property that appears now to be a sand bar in the Gulf of Mexico.

My brother Jim called Mom and me this morning to tell us that Gay saw the pictures. We extrapolate from there that Pat's mom (my mother's sister) Veronica and brother Mike, likewise, have lost their homes at Port Bolivar, since they were all situated about a mile apart.

My mother told me last evening -- and I told Gay -- that her sister Frances in Meyersdale had told her that their other sister Annette in Fairhope had told her that Veronica had told her (we're getting our news in round-about channels) that Pat, who owns the Firestone dealersihp at Crystal Beach and is a pilot, intended to rent a plane in Houston, where he and his wife Mary Ann had gone to ride out the storm with their son Jim, and fly over to see for himself -- and take pictures. (Veronica and Mike had gone to a hotel in Beaumont.)

Galveston, too, it seems, was pretty much destroyed, though the hundred-year-old sea wall stood steady. Port Bolivar doesn't have a sea wall.

I had wondered why Veronica and Mike went to Beaumont: It's not far north and east of Galveston; still along the coast; and seemingly not much better situated for them to avoid the monster storm's ravage. In fact, that area did get flooding and tornadoes. It seems that my aunt and cousin are safe, though they are marooned at their hotel now with no basic amenities.

Ma says that Francie told her that Veronica telephoned hotels to the west of Galveston and couldn't get a reservation. I thought, then, "Why not just drive north as far as she and Mike could go, to get out of the storm's path altogether? They had a couple days' notice." Then I saw reports on the news that service stations along the evaucation routes were running out of gasoline. And the authorities were telling people in Houston to stay put and avoid the dangers of mass exodus that were experienced in previous situations of that sort.

"So," I specualted in conversation with Gay, "I guess folks who don't anticipate and leave early can find themselves in a situation where they can't get out." Seems a point is reached-- when you don't have enough gas in the tank to be able to go far enough to escape, or can't secure a hotel reservation for a place to stay, even at a gas tank's distance away -- when it is wisest to hunker down and take chances. I gained a whole new perspective on why folks might end up stranded and in need of rescue in such a storm. Seems that unless they've outright refused to accept means offered for transport out, we really can't speculate what their circumstances are and why they've remained behind.

My aunt's home at Port Bolivar was typical of the area: Two-story frame with a basement; constantly air conditioned to battle mildew that thrives in the high humidity; and expressive of deep southern hardiness and pride. (Ma and I flew down to visit for a couple of weeks in 1990.)

My aunt had furnished mostly in antiques from her and her husband's sides of the family; and she loves clocks. Her livingroom was a cacophony of tick-tocks and cuckoos of clocks she'd bought over the years everywhere she went.

My aunt Frances told Mom prior to the storm that Veronica had said from her hotel room in Beaumont that she had cleaned up after Hurricane Clara, I think it was, in the '80s, that had caused severe damage to her home. But she didn't know if she could do that again. Veronica is 84 years old and has made her life at Bolivar. Pat and Mike are Bolivar born and raised.

I've almost lost my life and had to battle all sorts of odds for many months to survive and rehabilitate; and I've lost most of my eyesight and had to let go suddenly of a way of life I'd always known and adapt to a new one. So I think I might understand the spiritual challenges of survival and grief and adaptation that they face. But I am fraught to imagine the gut-wrenching sadness of my aunt's and cousins' total loss of possessions and liveliehood and identity that has been taken from them in the night by Ike. And they had to walk away and leave it all to the whim of nature and the will of God.

Oh, I do know something about surrender -- and prayer. I'll be praying for their surrender.

(c) Nancy E. Thoerig 09-14-08

Palin knows who she is

"If she goes to the White House, Sarah Palin might liberate women and men alike who yearn for authentic feminity and masculinity...."

Alaska Governor and Republican Vice-Presidential running mate Sarah Palin is dubbed Zamboni by Ellen Goodman in her column in today's Cumberland Times-News. Goodman applies the term disparagingly to symbolize Palin's effectiveness in wiping the Republican slate clean of party members' comments regarding working mothers. The best party line, though, quoted in Goodman's article, is Palin's own: "To any critics who say a woman can't think and work and carry a baby at the same time, I'd just like to escort that Neanderthal back to the cave."

Known for shaking up her own party, Palin didn't mince any words that time; and she surely seems to be shaking up the nation now as a political powerhouse headed for the White House.

She turns the liberal view on its head. Sarah Palin clearly can "think and work and carry a baby at the same time" -- we saw her do it on stage after delivering her blockbuster speech at the Republican convention -- and still be a woman. Her authenticity is appealing and attractive on levels rarely seen today.

The liberal left accuses her of contriving an alluring act: They say her unstylish eyeglasses and hair piled up carelessly or pulled back frumpily are blatant props to flaunt her latent sexualitty. They deride her genuine good looks and disrespect her attractiveness to men, who apparently find her to be beautiful. To women, she is a refreshing and real role model: Sarah Palin knows who she is; and her values are those of a massive population of women in our country who have repressed (or forgotten or denied) heir authentic innate qualities and exceptional contributions to society as women -- working or not, mothers or not -- under the oppression of extreme feminism and elitism.

If she goes to the White House, Sarah Palin might liberate women and men alike who yearn for authentic feminity and masculinity -- and the complementarity and mutual respect that come with them -- in our human relations. Could Palin's influence generate a renewal of civility in our society? Could she bring about a new feminism that treasures authentic feminity?

A Catholic News Service article published in the Catholic Review on September 4 quotes Palin as saying that she and her husband felt "privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives” in their consideration of her last pregnancy with a Down syndrome baby. The article notes that "more than 90 percent of women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to abort the child." Palin's decision to welcome her baby won her praise from Anchorage Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz, quoted as saying that Gov. Palin gives "public witness to the fact that every child is a gift."

The article continues: "Gov. Palin's pro-life credentials received another test when the fmaily disclosed Sept. 1 that 17-year-old daughter Bristol, who is unmarried, was five months pregnant and planned to marry the father of her child." Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, is quoted as saying in a statement: "The Palin family is displaying courage and constancy...in welcoming this new life."

The CNS article notes that "Palin says she was baptized Catholic but has always attended nondemoninational Christian churches."

by Nancy E. Thoerig 09-13-08

Wake up, America!

"The trend is toward forgetfulness of God and disintegration of a Judeo-Christian formula for Democracy. We need to redirect. Are Christians responding?"

Glenn C. Riffey makes an excellent point in his letter today in the Cumberland Times-News in response to Charles Haynes' column of September 5: "From the very start, the Christians were the ones who discovered, settled and built America." He reinforces the view that church and state are inseparable; and he seems to call on citizens to exercise conscience when electing public officials to guide us in God's light as the country takes shape in the future. It certainly does seem in this era of "cool" elistism and relativism that our country's religious and moral traditions (and let's not forget the Jewish half of our country's Judeo-Christian underpinnings: Law + Mercy = Justice) are "square" and fodder for national ridicule, bullying and degradation.

In a CTN article today about the first "Cry Out America" event held September 11 to commemorate the terrorists' attack, cooridnator Sharron Eror Moody calls it “a cry out to God for an awakening in America.” (The event was held at the grounds of the county courthouse, where the Ten Commandments monument was a subject of controversy in the recent past.)

A September 11 Zenit.org press release notes that Pope Benedict XVI says Christians' involvement in politics is key to evangelizing society. And in a release today reporting on Benedict's first papal visit (four days) to France, with the intent "to reinvigorate the Christian roots of Eurpoe," Catholic News Service reports that "the pope quickly zeroed in on a perennial and crucial issue in France: the proper role of the church in a secular society." The CNS release states that the pope said society must become more aware of "the irreplaceable role of religion" in forming consciences and instilling values. He said religion does not represent a danger for any democracy and that Christian values constitute a "living patrimony" for society as a whole. The pope called for a renewal of church-state cooperation, saying modern society greatly needs the inspiration of the Gospel. "This hope (of 'ethical consensus') is all the more necessary in today's world, which offers few spiritual aspirations and few material certainties," the pope said at an official welcoming ceremony at Elysee Palace, as reported by CNS.

Seems our country got a wakeup call seven years ago. Memories of that day that shook our nation's foundation should continue to awaken our awareness of the direction our country -- and the other Christian nations of the world -- are going. The trend is toward forgetfulness of God and disintegration of a Judeo-Christian formula for Democracy. We need to redirect. Are Christians responding?

Follow the pope's visit to France at Whispers in the Loggia.

by Nancy E. Thoerig 09-12-08