
Originally published in the Catholic Times, Feb. 10 issue
Ohio Dominican University celebrated the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas with their annual Convocation in this year featuring a lecture by theologian Fr. Thomas F. O’Meara, OP titled “Vast Universe: Extraterrestrials and Christian Revelation” (Also the title of his latest book). O’Meara’s presentation treated those attending with the opportunity to stretch their minds and understanding of Christian revelation here on earth by considering the possibility of free, intelligent extraterrestrial life sharing with human beings a capacity for relationship with God, the Creator of all.
He began with a quick review of the growing body of scientific knowledge of the universe gathered in part from increasingly powerful telescopes that probe its vast expanse. Scientists estimate the existence of about 125 billion galaxies each holding billions of stars. The Drake Equation that looks at probabilities of the existence of intelligent life on other planets, suggests that in our galaxy alone, the possibility lies anywhere from one thousand to one million intelligent civilizations.
In his lecture, O’Meara moved into considering how this speculation impacts Christian understanding of Jesus of Nazareth as the revelation of God.
No problem, I thought as I scribbled notes in my journal, having long entertained the probability of intelligent creatures existing somewhere in the universe. How could they not? Two favorite authors came to mind: Madeleine L’Engle, in the book “A Wrinkle in Time,” shows her young protagonists meeting Centaur-like creatures on planet Uriel, their first stop along a cosmic journey battling evil. These creatures exist in what we might call a “Garden of Eden” state, always filled with light and love. At a later point in the story, gentle sightless creatures who live on planet Ixchel healed the space travelers from an encounter with evil. Read More