[Sundaycommunity] Stephen Hawking & A Short History of Love

[John Scandiffio]

The history of love is found in the passionate pursuit of science and faith.

This review comes out of the reflection by Mary Lou Halferty in this Sundays People Progress on faith. 

Mary Lou wrote, “Some months ago, a visitor to our liturgy explained the different uses of the word faith. For him faith was not just the framework of his religion but a deep trust in God - an eternal presence of what we need, an eternal availability. “.
Mary Lou finishes “I really like that.”

Let me first share a colourful note about Stephen Hawking. In the documentary A Short History of Time, he notes that at Oxford when it was time for a reckoning they asked him what marks should they give. He said if you give me low marks I will stay here. If you give me high marks I’ll go to Cambridge-he went to Cambridge. 


Stephen Hawking noted in the documentary that he had met four Popes . One  Pope told him that we have faith that God created science and the universe.

Hawking went on to say if science were to find the source to understand the universe we would know the mind of God.  
I told that to my son, and he said “no, Hawking is an atheist and went on say if you believe in God, you would know the mind of God. But Hawking himself did not believe in God.  He looked it up and was correct. 

Hawking noted in the documentary that he was interested in two points.  One, why was there creation ? The second, Why were humans created ? 

One of the past members of our Sunday Community and a good friend was a scholar who would regularly meet with scientists to have discussions on science and faith. In my discussions with him he would say things like , “Things attract”.  That leads to stoicism where the thing is the medium and the human received the message. 

My scholar friend, has a way to ignite discussion on a discovery in science. I venture if my friend met Stephen Hawking he would say to him, I like you research on energy in The Black Hole. Hawking may follow up with a few words.  Then, my friend would ask a question. What prompted him to initiate the search? From that point the discussion follow along the lines of how theoretical study was not just the framework of his love of theoretical astrophysics but a deep trust in science - of its eternal presence. 

I arranged a meeting between my scholar and  a psychiatrist friend.  The psychiatrist special calling was to react instantly when he was needed at Sick Kids Hospital. 

When they met, the psychiatrist immediately asked the scholar “Have you met God ?” My friend said “ at  Harvard they taught him never to lie,  Yes I met  God”.

He explained. “Well into my work, I suddenly became bed ridden for two years. My body would not let me move. One day I looked up and saw the sun light in the window overlooking the garden. I asked God to let me up, look at the garden and go right back to bed”. He knew that God let him up.

The difference I find between my scholar friend and Stephen Hawkins is that the scholar had the faith to address the will of God to help him and Stephen Hawkins was using his mind to find the mind of God. 

One final thing with my scholar. His Harvard mentor worked with him for twelve years before letting him enter into discussions with scientists. Decades later while walking with him , I asked for the reference in which St. Augustine wrote “It’s solved by walking “. He forgot and immediately phoned his Harvard ninety-five-year-old mentor who was in a Boston hospital. I heard his mentor saying to the scholar, “I’ve told you over and over again you have to remember your references.

The history of love is found in the passionate pursuit of science and faith.

John Scandiffio

Sent from my iPhone
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