CANTICLE OF A CATHOLIC SCIENTIST

canticle of a catholic scientist

3/15/2023

by Mr. Benjamin Dominic

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As a Catholic scientist, I fortunately have not struggled with reconciling my scientific profession with my Catholic faith. Truth cannot contradict truth, as Pope Leo XIII wrote in his encyclical Providentissimus Deus. Hence, whether truth comes from the use of reason (including the sciences) or Divine Revelation, it cannot contradict itself merely based on its source. This inspires confidence in any Catholic that the Catholic religion and science are ultimately harmonious, despite any seeming contradictions that may currently be present.

However, one obstacle I have faced as a Catholic scientist is of a vocational rather than intellectual nature. How can writing computer code, solving mathematical equations, or conducting laboratory experiments serve our Lord, lead others to Him, and foster my own growth in holiness? When I was discerning this vocation, it certainly felt that more “explicitly religious” choices (such as being a Catholic missionary or a teacher in a Catholic school) could serve our Lord and His will better.

I found consolation in a Catholic astronomer whose cause of canonization has been opened. Paraphrasing his self-reflection on being a Catholic astronomer, he said, “I have the ability to take the stars into my hands, give them a voice, and make them praise their Creator.” [1] Something from this quote echoed the Canticle from the Book of Daniel (Dan 3:57-88, 56), which is prayed in the Liturgy of the Hours and includes invocations such as:

Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.

Like the Catholic astronomer quoted above, is it not possible for every Catholic scientist -- astronomer, physicist, chemist, biologist, and more -- to similarly give voice to the natural objects they study, to praise and bless the Lord?

Black holes and exoplanets, bless the Lord.
Protons and electrons, bless the Lord.
Hydrogen and helium, bless the Lord.
DNA and RNA, bless the Lord.

When viewed this way, pursuing a vocation to be a scientist may not appear to be “explicitly religious.” But, echoing the sentiments of St. Albert the Great (the patron saint of scientists) as well as Dominican priest-scientists I know personally, scientific research can be approached as an act of prayer, of praise, of worship of the Lord who made all the things I study.

As a physicist, I too have the ability to take electrons and atoms “into my hands, give them a voice, and make them praise their Creator.” In this way, I can say with the writer of Wisdom, “For from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator,” (Wis 13:5) or with St. Paul, “Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made.” (Rom 1:20)

As I have found time and again, there is no real contradiction between being a Catholic and being a scientist. Even in this vocation, I can find a way to serve our Lord, bring others to know His grandeur through His creation, and grow in holiness through prayerful study myself.
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[1] Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I cannot relocate the article in which I read this! I believe it was from the official Vatican website. If it rings a bell and you find it, please let me know!

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