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The God Particle

 

            Parade magazine is not usually my source of revelation!  As you may know, it comes in the Sunday newspapers in many parts of the country.  I admit that I do not always read it.  A couple weeks ago, however, I noticed the front cover had this as part of the headline: “Finding the Origins of the Universe.”  Since I am not a scientific scholar, it struck me this would be a good piece to read.

            When I opened to the article, the title was even more interesting: “The Race for the Secret of the Universe!”  Now the story took on the character of a suspense novel.  I was hooked.  The “race,” as it turns out, is between the new research tool being built in Switzerland and our own, older American one, the Fermilab outside of Chicago.  These laboratories don’t fit the usual description of labs according to my high school memory.  The one in Europe is a “17 mile-round-particle accelerator.”  That is three times bigger than “ours.”  So what are we searching?

            The article puts it succinctly.  We are involved in “the search for the elusive Higgs boson, also known as ‘the God particle.’”  “Ah, yes, that thing,” I murmur.  (I have no idea what a Higgs boson is!)  But the article is helpful at this point.  It tells us that “physicists believe that this special subatomic particle allows all of the other particles in the universe to have mass and come together to form, well, basically everything that’s around us.”  I guess that says it all.  Without the good ole Higgs boson, there is nothing---and that includes us!  I may not know what it is, but clearly it is important.  Now I am glad it exists.  Thanks be to God. 

            And I can see why it is called “the God particle.”  But this thing is so infinitesimally small it has yet to be detected.  Just like God to be so important---yes, even crucial---and yet “hide” from us.  I love this sense of divine humor.  Most of us, if we were God, would want big, divine egos.  We would pound our royal chests and be arrogant beyond belief.  Thank God we are not god!

            I appreciate the fact the article does tell us who this Higgs person is.  He is the Scottish theorist who initially speculated in 1964 there was such a particle which could explain our universe.  It is a search worthy of Sherlock Holmes.  As I now understand it, these particle accelerators speed up particles---protons and anti-protons---and smash them.  This is an attempt to replicate the Big Bang and the very creation of matter itself.  And there in the Big Bang we will find “the God particle.”

            When I finish reading and trying to get my mind around this, I am left with two impressions that are worthy of spiritual reflection---and thanksgiving.  The first impression concerns the undaunted curiosity of humankind and our abilities to push the knowledge-envelope to the very edge of life itself.  We are impressive!  My life and yours should be impressive.

            The second impression concerns that God whom I believe in some sneaky, creative way enabled it all to happen.  To be sure, I realize why we usually think of God in big ways.  That is appropriate.  But God also might be continually lurking in our present world as a “God particle.” 

            I am left in awe---awe at us (me, you, and all folks) and at God.  In small ways may I live bigger in my world this day.  Let us all live up to the dignity the Divinity implanted in us.  Thanks be to God

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