What Holds The Universe Together ?

A LENTEN PILGRIMAGE

Rev. Fr. K M George 

 One of the Lenten sedra-prayers says that

Jesus fasted for forty days in order to strengthen the four elements of the universe which have become loose and weak due to human sin. It continues to state that human beings who are also constituted by the same four elements are strengthened ten times by the 40-day fasting of the Lord. 

Every element in the human person is made whole so that the human being becomes holy..

In ancient Greek cosmology, 

adopted by most Christian Fathers,, the four elements are earth, water, air and fire

In Indian cosmology there are five elements. 

We have space (akasha) in addition to the above four. The patristic interpreters seem to play with the number four in different ways.

In modern cosmology one of the major questions is: what holds the universe together?

 With the countless billions of stars, planets and galaxies moving apart in an inflationary mode according to some theorists, the mystery of the smooth functioning of the whole is astounding.

Orthodox Christian theology would teach that it is the love and will of God that hold all things together in harmony. The weakening of the fundamental forces that hold the universe together is a spiritual problem. 

To say that Christ died for our sins has cosmic implications when we affirm that the fasting of Jesus was meant to reinforce and restore the fundamental elements of the universe. This applies in a very particular way to the human person who in his/her body contains all the elements that constitute the universe.

The Lent emphasizes that in order to strengthen our body, mind and spirit we need to rediscover their spiritual origin. We are created in God's image, out of God's love and will. Our face represents the face of God's creation; our consciousness represents the God-consciousness spread out in all creation in an extremely subtle way. Since we are the image of God we need to represent God's face to the rest of creation as well.

Let us therefore hold out the hope on behalf of all creation, and dedicate our body, mind and soul to their original source, namely, God's love and will.. 

St Paul tells us:

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now: and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies."(Romans 8: 22-23)