To explain the faith in Biblical Israel and Palestine, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ used parables. These parables were simple stories that people could relate to based on their own daily experience at that time.  The world is obviously quite different today some 2000 years later, with a great deal more being known of the created world through the use of science. In addition, the average person is more educated than in Biblical times, given that most people can now read and write, which was rare in those days. The daily experience of today may limit or “turn-off” understanding of the parables of the Bible, especially by those who would consider the Bible an old out-of-date book. Therefore the intent of this blog is to provide an explanation of the Catholic faith, using the same principle of teaching that Jesus used – the parable – and then making use of modern science (theory or actual knowledge) for the material within the parable.

The sciences used will include mathematics (the science of all sciences), as well as others such as physics and biology, but will also reference those practical systems well entrenched in a modern society, such as electricity and plumbing. If mixing Catholicism with plumbing seems eclectic, perhaps it is, so use the comment system to provide your input!

Just a final word, to deal with likely inferences. Scientific Catholic is not focused on the debate between creationism and evolution (Darwinism, whether macro- or micro-evolution).

This blog is run by a Catholic priest who is inspired to pursue the New Evangelization in a unique way. “The moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.” (Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, December 12, 1990) All peoples today include the scientifically minded.

This article is a reflection on a topic in Christian life that has perplexed generations of people, both Christians and non-Christians alike – suffering. Why must we suffer? (The short answer is because of sin, and a scientific analysis of that will be provided later using the model of electricity.) One common characteristic of all humans is the desire to avoid all suffering. Some belief systems, such as those associated with Eastern Mysticism, have a great deal of doctrine to deal with this problem or to try and escape from it, and others less so.

Yet Jesus tells us that taking up our Cross is necessary, which of course entails suffering. But at the same time, Jesus says that His yoke is sweet and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). So how can one reconcile this apparent contradiction?

Obviously Jesus suffered tremendously – just think of the Passion and Death on the Cross on Good Friday. Jesus never asks of us what He Himself has not done or has not suffered in a way that we have suffered, such as cold, pain, betrayal, hatred, and every other problem known to human existence. After all, suffering is supposed to be difficult, isn’t it? Yet there are ample cases throughout Church history where people suffered tremendously, yet did so joyfully. The most obvious are the martyrs – Jesus of course being the first Christian Martyr. But one only needs to read the lives of the saints to learn of great suffering with joy. How did they do that, and what can we learn to repeat it in our own lives?

We should all understand that God gives His Grace to us – a share in His Divine Life – to live our vocation and perform our duties according to our state in life. So in an attempt to understand better how one can suffer such that the burden is light, I turned to another of God’s creation called mathematics, hence the unusual title of this article. Don’t worry, only simple algebra will be used, along with a number that is quite representative of God – ∞. This ‘sideways-8′ symbol ∞ represents infinity, a never-ending number, which any calculus student should remember. The way infinity works is that if you think of any number, no matter how large, then ∞ is always larger without exception. Just like God is Eternal – never ending – so is infinity. There is one association of God and math.

Because of the special number ∞, some unique characteristics must be understood to proceed. The following simple mathematical expressions become apparent after a little reflection (or proof by a high school calculus book not provided here). In this article I will simply present them here for use later.

any-finite-number	= 0
∞

∞	= ∞
any-finite-number

To continue, I will use another expression to illustrate a “burden factor” where a “0” (zero) burden is no suffering at all, which will be true for us in Heaven. And a larger burden is considered bad, e.g. a person has more suffering. To translate into math the earlier comment that humans want to avoid suffering means that every person wants a burden as close to zero as possible. This is intuitively obvious.

So then what constitutes a burden?                burden =	cross
	strength

To illustrate Let’s use some examples. Considering the cross (which is the cause of the suffering), it can be seen that a burden is higher for a bigger cross, and lower for a smaller cross. Similarly, for any given cross, the burden is inverse to the strength, that is smaller (e.g. lighter) if the strength is higher, and larger if the strength is lower. Naturally there can be more than one cross which causes the suffering. Since the burden is a ratio, the absolute values of the crosses and strength are less important as is the ratio itself. For example, if the cross is 5 and the strength is 1, the burden is 5. But a burden is still 5 if the cross is 1,000 and the strength is 200, even though the cross is much greater, the strength can ease the greater weight of a cross such that the relative burden is the same. This simple equation also helps explain the typical human behavior of wanting to lower the burden by asking God to reduce or remove the cross.

Now in today’s world, or any time in history, it goes without saying that there are many crosses in family life, with friends, and in one’s job or vocation. We humans can feel overwhelmed by these crosses, which results in a high burden. Of course Jesus tells us that He never gives a person more than one can bear, so His actively or permissively Willed crosses would never exceed our strength such that our burden would be too high for our souls. It would be good to reflect that on average, 6 of 7 of the crosses each person has are a consequence of personal sin. For example, if a man gets drunk regularly and then loses his job and family, such crosses are the results of the sinful behavior of drunkenness. Of course there are always the cases where a cross is the result of the sin of another or natural disasters permitted by God, such as earthquakes. However, even these natural disasters are the consequences of a multitude of sins by people on the earth. There were no natural disasters in the Garden of Eden.

But then Jesus reminds us that His yoke is sweet, and His burden light (Matthew 11:30). So what is the Godly method to handle the burden? To increase our strength! Not only will an increase in strength lighten the burden for the same, or even greater, number of crosses, but then such burden becomes salvific when offered to God as part of a daily offering. In addition, bearing increased crosses well brings yet more Grace to the person as well as to the world at large. So how do we do that? By relying on God’s Strength through His Grace.

We tap into God’s Strength to the degree that we correspond to His Grace. As Jesus reminds us, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5) and “My God is now my strength!” (Isaiah 49:5). Taking God into account, the burden equation then becomes:

burden =	crosses
	human strength + correspondence value

So if we have a high correspondence value, then our total strength increases, regardless of our human strength, and therefore the burden is lower for a given number of crosses, and can become light, relative to our human strength. This is how the saints, of all different shapes and sizes so to speak, can all consistently suffer with tremendous crosses but carry their burden lightly, all because of God’s Strength by corresponding highly to His Grace. Of course the perfect human saint is our Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, since she always corresponded perfectly to God’s Grace (i.e. She never sinned).

So Let’s analyze some examples. If one had the full power of God, which is infinite, then the burden would always be zero since no finite number of crosses can overcome infinite power. Of course we humans do have a finite capacity, the largest capacity being our Holy Mother who is greater than all the Angels and saints combined, so there is a real limit to the number of crosses that one can carry. But as we have seen, that number can be quite high in the case of the saints.

burden =	crosses	=	crosses	= 0
	human strength + God’s Strength		human strength + ∞

Let’s focus on an example where a person named Joe is in the state of Grace (i.e. no mortal sin). Assuming that God allows 20 crosses and that Joe’s human strength is 5, Joe’s human-only burden equals 4. Because Joe corresponds to God’s Grace, Let’s say that he corresponds moderately with a value of 15. Therefore Joe’s burden is reduced from 4 to only 1, as illustrated below.

Joe by himself:

burden =	crosses	=	20	= 4
	human strength		5

Joe with God in his heart:

burden =	crosses	=	20	= 1
	human strength + correspondence value		5 + 15

Note that if we are in mortal sin, then our correspondence value becomes zero since we are no longer in the state of Grace. This results in a burden being handled solely by our human strength without the benefit of God’s Grace, therefore our burden is higher and most likely much higher. So mortal sin is a “vicious circle” or “double-whammy,” that being crosses are increased while at the same time our ability to handle said crosses is reduced by the loss of God’s Grace. In recalling that God never gives us more crosses than we can bear, such a situation depends upon correspondence to His Grace, therefore mortal sin can cause an increased burden beyond our human strength, possibly leading to loss of Faith or Hope. Sound familiar? The bottom line is that those in mortal sin will always carry a much higher burden, which if course is opposite to satan’s lie that sin offers a more care-free existence through unrestricted pleasure. The conclusion which follows is also obvious; avoid mortal sin to reduce the burden we carry.

Using again Joe as an example, Let’s assume that Joe commits a mortal sin and adds 10 crosses to his life because of it. We see that Joe’s burden increases greatly as compared to living within the state of Grace, in this example by a factor of six.

burden =	crosses	=	20 + 10	= 6
	human strength + correspondence value		5 + 0

Using an example of a saint, Let’s assume the same number of crosses as Joe, that their human strength is only one-fifth of Joe’s at 1, but that they correspond to God’s Grace at a rate of 99, which is more than six times Joe’s correspondence. Therefore this saintís burden is only 0.2, or five times less than Joe, even though the saint has much less human strength.

burden =	crosses	=	20	= 0.2
	human strength + correspondence value		1 + 99

The saint I consider for this example is St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, given that she mentions that she is so weak in her own writings, yet she is a great saint of our times and Doctor of the Church even though having lived to only age 24. Let’s take a final example. Suppose that God sends you 1,000 crosses and that your human strength is 5 as in Joe’s example. Under human-only conditions the burden would be a huge 200. But if you heroically corresponded to God’s Grace at a value of 995, then your burden would be only 1.

High correspondence values, which far exceed our human strength, are always possible since God has infinite power. The saints had it, the martyrs had it, and you too can have it. This is all very possible since, as St. Thomas Aquinas says, all one needs to do to become a saint is to will it, and God will take care of the rest through His Grace.

So there is the answer to having a light burden regardless of the crosses you bear – rely on God’s Strength by corresponding to His Grace, become a saint, and definitely stay out of mortal sin. The scientific sufferer never asks God to lighten his or her burden by lessening the numerator (the cross), rather the good scientific sufferer asks for an increased denominator (strength).

One God, yet Three Persons. This is the God in which true Christians believe – the Trinitarian God. From an initial human perspective, this may sound like mindless poppycock. Many humans do think that is poppycock. But reality is deeper than what meets the eye, and even deeper than what meets the mind.

Who is this Trinitarian God? There is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. (Note: the Name Holy Spirit is also used instead of Holy Ghost.) The Father is the First Divine Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. The Son is the Second Divine Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, also called the Word, with Jesus Christ being this Second Person Who took on a human nature and became a man. (The debate on the latter point is beyond the scope of this article.) And the Holy Ghost is the Third Divine Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. Catholics profess in the Nicene Creed, which is a summary of Catholic Faith, in part “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty … in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God … of one substance with the Father … And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who, together with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified:” [Underlined emphases are mine] (1962 Roman Missal).

So the prayer above, which reflects the Catholic faith, very briefly addresses the one yet three “problem.” How might we proceed scientifically?

Substance

One key concept is made visible in the Creed, which is that of substance. What is substance? Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines it as “That which underlies all outward manifestations; substratum; the permanent subject or cause of phenomena, whether material or spiritual; that in which properties inhere; that which is real, in distinction from that which is apparent; the abiding part of any existence, in distinction from any accident; that which constitutes anything what it is; real or existing essence.” Notice the key points of underlying existence and of being real in this definition.

Using this concept of substance, a simple scientific explanation of the Trinity can be made from the physical states of matter. Matter is known to have the states of solid, liquid, and gas. Using the molecular substance H2O (water – which consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom), as the type of matter for our example, there are three forms (or states) of this one substance:

In each case, H2O still remains the underlying substance, in whatever form it exists. This form, in the case of H2O, depends on the external environment in which the H2O resides, in particular the temperature (which depends on heat energy or lack of heat energy). This substance is not changed even though the form is changed by external stimuli.

We even give unique names to the same substance when it is in its different forms. In our H2O example we use the names ice, water and steam for the respective forms of solid, liquid, and gas. No one in a right, correctly-educated mind would say that ice, water or steam does not consist of H2O, nor would they say that H2O cannot exist because one cannot reconcile ice, water and steam. Rather, the different forms of H2O are relative to the environment. So then the observer’s perceptions are dependent and therefore differ too, even though the substance remains constant. The essence (pun intended) of the analogy is that the essence of existence – the substance – does not change, but the viewable form can be different based on environmental factors.

So in our scientific analogy, we can call the H2O the Trinitarian God since that is the underlying substance, and assign each Divine Person to a form, e.g. Father is the solid form, Son is the liquid form, and Holy Ghost is the gaseous form. We must also be careful not to carry analogies too far by inference. In the case of H2O, the three forms are determined by external stimuli. The Trinitarian God is not determined by external stimuli at all, but rather is existence itself, and He determines created existence. So there is a better – and deeper – way of explaining One God in Three Persons: that of dimensions. This deeper scientific analogy will be dealt with in another article Part 2 – Dimensions. Stay tuned.

To expand this analogy a bit further, there are other interesting correlations by using H2O – water – as the example of substance for God. First, Jesus said “‘Whoever believes in me,’ as scripture says, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.’” (John 7:38 NAB) Life on earth cannot exist without water, and similarly spiritual life cannot exist without God, although one may not notice. Imagine a little fish asking his mother, “where is the water?” A large portion of the bodies of creatures consist of water. For example, the human body is approximately 61 percent water by weight. “Living water” can be interpreted literally, in addition to spiritually, since the human body is a majority of living water.

H2O consists of two hydrogen atoms being bonded by one oxygen atom. Hydrogen is the most fundamental atom, the simplest and most basic element. God is the most fundamental existence, in fact He is existence itself. All other creation exists because of Him and in Him, and apart from Him nothing exists. This will also be dealt with in more detail in Part 2 – Dimensions.

Also, oxygen bonds two of the most fundamental elements together. Without this bonding in a certain way, H2O (water) could not exist. Analogously, God the Father eternally begets His Son, the Word (Jesus Christ is the incarnation of the Word into a human nature), and the Divine Love of Father with the Son is what God the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) is. God would not be God without the Three Persons in the specific bonded form, that is the Most Blessed Trinity.

Using the analogy of God the Father as one hydrogen atom, God the Son as the other hydrogen atom, God the Holy Ghost is the bonding oxygen atom. Oxygen is also needed for higher forms of intelligent life. As with H2O in general, without oxygen intelligent life could not exist. Not only that, but oxygen performs essential functions in a highly efficient way within the human body. “…When the body has ample oxygen, it produces enought energy to optimize metabolism and eliminate accumulated toxic wastes in the tissues. Natural immunity is achieved when the immune system is not burdened with heavy ‘toxic buildup.’ Detoxification occurs when oxygen is introduced into the system” (Dr. Norman McVea). The Townsend Letters for Doctors states “…Oxygen is ideal as the main ingredient in any life form with a nervous system. Oxygen’s conductivity allows it to readily combine with conductive organic materials for transmitting nerve signals. The brain and nervous system consume far more oxygen in proportion to their weight than the rest of the body. The constant firing of micro-electric impulses across the synapses requires a great deal of energy. If there isn’t enough oxygen available for the nerve cells to fire dependably when needed, the brain can’t help but function less effectively.” (Take note of the electric connection in that description of the nervous system; we will use that in a future scientific parable). Ed McCabe described that for the body “the large majority of those infectious microbes that cause us so much illness and pain are anaeroic…a big word that means they live and proliferate best in environments where there is little or no oxygen” (Oxygen Therapies: A New Way of Approaching Disease).

With too little or no oxygen disease and illness occur in the human body. Dr. Stephen Levine, a Molecular Biologist, writes, “…In all serious disease states we find a concomitant low oxygen state. Low oxygen in the body tissues is a sure indicator for disease. Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen in the tissues, is the fundamental cause for all degenerative disease” (Oxygen Deficiency: A Concomitant to all Degenerative Illnesses).

How does this work spiritually? “It is the spirit that gives life … The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63 NAB). Similarly then, spiritual disease – sin – and therefore suffering occur because of the lack of “Divine Oxygen”, that is the Spirit of God within human hearts. Not that God isn’t there, rather that sin drives out the Divine Oxygen, the Spirit of God. What is sin? Rejection of God’s wise ways, including the Ten Commandments. Suffering is always a result of sin, whether it is personal sin, or someone else’s personal sin perpetrated against you as the victim. If you ask how does a natural disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake relate to personal sin, notice in the Garden of Eden, before sin started with original sin, there were no natural disasters, but rather only a peaceful paradise.

Lastly, the a person will die the fastest without water, typically in three days, while a person can live without food for up to three weeks (Rule of Three, Outdoors Magazine). Without God, the spirit – the soul in a person – will die quickly. That Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, the “Divine Oxygen” in particular, is Love – God is Love (1 John 4:8). And we all see how the world is without love.