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| Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) |
A few years ago I saw a program about Stephen Hawking (1942-2018), the English physicist who was confined to a wheelchair most of his life because of Lou Gehrig’s disease, but whose brain was working perfectly. He was one of the world’s most brilliant minds. He wrote A brief history of time, attempting to explain the origins of the universe. Apparently it is one of the most bought, but least read books. I bought it and gave up after about 3 pages. At the age of 21 he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and he was told he had at best two years to live. Up until his death in 2018 he was still doing ground-breaking work in physics, although the only muscle he could still move was one of his cheeks. There was a small sensor beside his cheek, which was attached to a computer. By moving his cheek he was able to speak to people and continue working through his computer. No doubt one of the reasons why he was still alive was his will to live. He had a great determination to keep going.
There is so much more to being alive than just physical health, although that is what we all wish for. Many people would consider that life would not be worth living if you were in the physical state that Stephen Hawking was and yet look at what he did.
When visiting hospitals I have often seen people who, having lost the will to live, would go down-hill very quickly and die. I also saw people who were told that they would probably not recover, but because they were absolutely determined to keep going, they would recover, often completely against the odds. One of the key differences between those who keep going and those who don’t is something spiritual: hope. If we have hope we can keep going even against the odds. If we have no hope, we may not survive even the ordinary.
Several years ago in a housing subdivision called Moyross, in Limerick city, which is an hour south of where I grew up—one of the toughest and most troubled areas of that city—a new group of Religious moved in. They are called the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, which were started by Fr. Benedict Goreschel in the Bronx, New York. They live very like the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s order) in poverty and great simplicity. Apparently, the area has been transformed since they moved in, for the simple reason that they have given the people there new hope. By moving in there, they have shown those people that they are worth something and that in itself has given them new hope.
We believe that God wants us to be happy, to live life in all its fullness and that gives us hope, which we to pass on to others, though often we are unaware of it. ‘I came that you may have life and have it to the full’ (Jn 10:10). One of the early Christian writers called Tertullian wrote, ‘The glory of God is man fully alive.’ The more alive we are in every sense, the more we develop our talents and abilities, the more we give glory to God and hope is a big part of being fully alive.
I always thought that one of my professors in the seminary was the best teacher. But later I realized that from an academic point of view he wasn’t particularly good, but he was so passionate about his faith, that it got everyone enthusiastic. He had a great passion for God and for life and that was inspiring.
When we have hope we are able to work to promote and strengthen married life even when it goes wrong; we continue to work with young people and encourage them not to give up, even when they have messed up through drugs, or alcohol; we continue to work for justice and peace often in very difficult circumstances. Our faith in God gives us hope, which in turn inspires others to keep going. Think also of the hope that Pope Francis has given people by the way he lives. He reached out to many people on the margins, showing them that they were not forgotten. That is exactly what Jesus did.
In this beautiful Gospel we hear how Jesus deliberately waited when he heard that Lazarus was sick, in order to work this miracle before everyone’s eyes. He wanted to show them something. He wanted to show them that God has power even over death and that when He allows people to die that it is not the end. Just as Jesus called Lazarus out of death, so Jesus will also call us out of death when we die and we will begin a new and wonderful life with him, unless we have rejected God. We make that choice by the way we live, the everyday decisions that we make.
In bringing Lazarus back to life, Jesus was helping people to believe in him. He is the one who has power over life and death. He is master of all things. He will judge the living and the dead. He was also giving the people hope, showing them that there is a bigger picture that we do not understand. Death is not the end. Physical health is not the end, but a doorway to what we are created for. But having hope is essential if we are to keep going through the many difficulties that we continue to face. Our hope in God and the world to come, gives us strength to keep going even when we are suffering, or struggling, or when everything is going wrong.
If we lose hope we may despair. When people believe there is nothing else apart from this world, then when faced with some of the difficulties we face here on earth, sickness, suffering, in justice, sometimes people despair, because they don’t know what to turn to. Sadly that is one of the reasons why there is such a high rate of suicide at this time, because so many people have lost faith and so have no hope.
In one of his letters to the Christians in Corinth in modern day Greece, St. Paul wrote the following: “If our faith in Christ has been for this life only, then of all people we are the most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15:9). If we think that this life is everything, then we have completely missed the point. But our faith tells us that this life is only a small part of the picture and it is so important that we don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. He also said, ‘Keep your eyes on the things that are above, not on the things below’ (Col 3:2).
So often you will hear people say, every day I am still alive is a good day, even when their bodies are old and in pain. I guess it would make you wonder what they believe happens after death. Clinging desperately to life, is a sign of not being convinced of what awaits us after death. If we are convinced that what awaits us is something unimaginably wonderful, then we will long for it, or at least look forward to it. Would you rather be clinging to life in pain and in a world of suffering, than in a world of joy where there is no more pain, or evil, or sorrow? Jesus’ dying and rising was to make sure that we could reach that happiness which awaits us. What greater hope is there than to believe that we will be with our loved ones again, in a place where there is only joy. That’s what all of us want and that is what our faith promises us.
Jesus deliberately waited until Lazarus was dead, so that he could bring him back to life before everyone and show us that He is Lord of all things and that He has power to bring people back from death. Jesus is the doorway to heaven and Jesus is the only One who makes sense of our life on earth. That is why we must keep our eyes on him. Make sure that he is at the center of all that we do. When we are confused, or suffering, He is always the One to turn to. He is the only one who can makes sense of our life.
‘I have come that you may have life and have it to the full’ (John 10:10)
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