The first weekend of December, I took part in the 2019 Omega Center conference titled Love at the Heart of the Cosmos. The Omega Center is an organization dedicated to building a new understanding of religion and science. The conference explored the idea that God’s love permeates the physical world and that the physical world matters to God. I attend online, but despite the distance, was still able to feel the excitement of the speakers and the attendees. I felt a sense of finding my “home”, other people like me who care deeply about religion, but are searching to find an understanding of religion they can wholeheartedly believe in.

To give a sense of the conference, here are a few examples:

• Matthew Fox talked about the importance of holding on to a sense of wonder. He argued that God is not static, so we should be open to updating our beliefs and doctrines. I found it particularly encouraging how he has worked on new forms of liturgy.
• Kathleen Duffy , a Catholic sister and physicist, described the struggle of Jesuit priest and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin as he navigated writing about evolution and how it impacts his Catholic faith while facing censure from the Church. It is helpful to learn from Teilhard’s struggle, because we still face obstacles today. There is real resistance towards fully embracing evolution which necessarily causes dramatic changes to our understanding of God.
• Ilia Delio, Catholic sister and theologian leading the Omega Center, spoke about the need for inner work, including contemplation, to contribute toward the future that God is calling us to. She described how technology is changing our very definition of what it means to be human, and the role of religion in this time of change.

Throughout the talks, the questions, and other events, there was a sense that we are on the edge of a big change in religion and society. In some way the current world religions will need to change to make sense of our changing world. There is a hope that a new religion or religions could emerge and help humanity face existential challenges.

I am just one person, and can not do much on my own, but I am part of something bigger. Maybe I can and we can, in some small way, contribute toward this epic story.