Stephen Hawking's First Conversation With God

I wonder what Stephen Hawking, the great scientist, said to God when he entered Heaven. I've been thinking about that since Stephen Hawking recently died and I was watching a special about him and his theories last evening.
Did he say to God, "I'm sorry." Or "I should have known that there had to be a First Cause, something which ignited the Big Bang and sparked the creation of the Universe. " As he said on the TV special last night, that I watched, (I'm paraphrasing) "After the Big Bang there was 'cosmic luck'." Hmmmm....very interesting, our ever expanding, mathematically exact Universe, our magnificent Milky Way galaxy and all the other millions of stars and galaxies were formed by "cosmic luck." I don't think so.
And then he attributed the forming of the galaxies to gravity and then some failures so the Universe could expand. There had to be failures he said. There couldn't be perfection. No, actually there had to be perfect, intelligent design, complexity, genius, mathematical exactness, there had to be God designing, propelling, creating his masterful work. God. Somehow that escaped the brilliant mind of Stephen Hawking.
Great philosophers have always asked, "Why is there something instead of nothing?" And physicists have asked, "Why did the Big Bang happen at all, what sparked it to explode?" After the Big Bang, why did atoms form and why did the Universe keep expanding? And how is it that I sit here, typing on my computer, billions of years later, believing what my faith and my experiences have led me to believe. God exists and though God will always be incomprehensible mystery, there can never be a doubt in my mind, that God is the Creator and God deserves credit for this magnificent Universe, which we are all a part of.
NJA

Praying For The People of North Korea and the Conversion of Kim Jong-un

Months ago when I saw a documentary about North Korea, it started to weigh heavy on my heart of how deprived the North Koreans are. Not only because, in many cases, they lack food and other basic necessities but also because they are not able or allowed to worship God. I felt for them because they were "forced" to hang pictures and photographs of the erratic North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un in their houses and businesses.  If they failed to do so, there could be dire consequences. I thought about the lack of freedom of religion in North Korea and how people were unable to pray openly or attend any kind of religious services or have religious articles.  So sad.
So I started praying for the miraculous conversion of Kim Jong-un. Wouldn't it be wonderful, I thought if he had a dramatic conversion experience and became a believer and gave people the freedom to worship God openly. I know that would take a miracle but why not pray to help the North Koreans. It seems as good a prayer as any. Imagine a picture of Jesus hanging in North Korean homes alongside their leader. "With God all things are possible!"
I hope that talks between President Trump and Kim Jong-un do happen and diplomacy prevails. That would be good for the world and a step towards world peace.
NJA

Parkland Shootings-Cardinal Cupich Encourages Us To Listen To Young People About Guns

I read an excellent article at America Magazine online titled, "Chicago's Cardinal Cupich: Listen To Young People About Guns," by Michael O'Loughlin. It seems people are listening, even corporations with large retail stores, such as Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart are listening and acting. The time for change has come and I hope and pray the 17 teenagers and adults who died in Parkland, Florida will not have died in vain. Their tragic, violent deaths coming on the first day of the holy season of Lent must be the last blood spilled in a school from gun violence.

As Cardinal Cupich put it, "The youth of our nation are shaming the adult world into action." The young people have the wind at their backs and public opinion is on their side. Reasonable people want stricter gun laws and universal background checks. Military weapons have no place in our society. This is not an attack on the 2nd amendment, its people crying for needed change, change that should have happened after the horror of Sandyhook.  This was an avoidable tragedy. Those poor parents who lost children, in such a violent, unexpected way, have to live with this everyday of their lives. It's unimaginable what they have to suffer. 

So the Church should speak out on this issue. Members of the Church should join with the teenagers when they march for sensible gun law changes. Young people everywhere are passionate about this issue right now and they would welcome the Church's involvement and encouragement. 

As Cardinal Cupich wrote, "The time for words is over, our children are telling us. What is now required is action."

Amen.

NJA

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. 
(2 Corinthians: 1:3-4)

The Lord is compassion and love.......(Ps. 103:8)