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Radical Amazement: Contemplative Lessons from Black Holes, Supernovas, And Other Wonders of the Universe
Twentieth century science completely revolutionized human understanding of the world, rewriting the story of the universe with exciting discoveries and theories--the big bang, the relativity of space and time, the accelerating expansion of the universe, along with increasingly refined ideas of evolution and the origin of life. Radical Amazement unifies the worlds of science and religion, weaving profound spiritual lessons from our new knowledge. Through thoughtful and practical reflections, enhanced by prayers and meditations, Judy Cannato reveals the connectedness of all creation and invites us to explore the harmony of science and spirituality.
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 15, 2019
This book is about the harmony between science and spirituality, which the author names "radical amazement" (I do feel she uses it a bit too often, but otherwise not a bad title). She brings us here the marvels of creation, worth of wonder and contemplation. Each chapter ends with pieces of contemplation and a prayer related to each chapters subjects. Subjects vary with things like the big bang, evolution, black holes, supernovas, and dark matter and -energy. At the end is a glossary, notes, and a bibliography.
I think the marvel bit for me was that when the big bang happened, it happened at just the right speed to create and not fly away of pieces too fast from each other. I didn't find any of the science bits disturbing to my belief, though the author at the end of each chapter always asks if anything in each chapter challenges things.
All these pieces of information show us the need of feeling the connectedness, between people, between all created things on Earth and in other points of space, visible and the not so. We are all Big Bang material. My favorites was the stuff about morphogenic fields and the supernovas. The book has a feel of great optimism throughout.
The biggest flaws in my opinion - and reason why I gave the book three stars - was perhaps the last chapter that really shows the author's mushiness about the whole thing, the radical amazement. It felt a bit over-optimistic and started to annoy me in this chapter. I feel that if and when I'll reread the book, I'll skip this chapter. But to be honest, it was not a ruiner of the book - the rest was just the right way cheery, plenty interesting, and I could see myself using at least one of the prayers at the end of the chapters in later use, separate of the book. So worth it, not too long a read, and refreshing to read one book written this way, now.
I think the marvel bit for me was that when the big bang happened, it happened at just the right speed to create and not fly away of pieces too fast from each other. I didn't find any of the science bits disturbing to my belief, though the author at the end of each chapter always asks if anything in each chapter challenges things.
All these pieces of information show us the need of feeling the connectedness, between people, between all created things on Earth and in other points of space, visible and the not so. We are all Big Bang material. My favorites was the stuff about morphogenic fields and the supernovas. The book has a feel of great optimism throughout.
The biggest flaws in my opinion - and reason why I gave the book three stars - was perhaps the last chapter that really shows the author's mushiness about the whole thing, the radical amazement. It felt a bit over-optimistic and started to annoy me in this chapter. I feel that if and when I'll reread the book, I'll skip this chapter. But to be honest, it was not a ruiner of the book - the rest was just the right way cheery, plenty interesting, and I could see myself using at least one of the prayers at the end of the chapters in later use, separate of the book. So worth it, not too long a read, and refreshing to read one book written this way, now.
October 9, 2021
I would have liked this book a lot more if it didn’t claim that our collective consciousness knew 9/11 was going to happen 5 hours before it did.
December 26, 2023
I found this book intriguing, not for its chapter endings of devotional sections on “contemplation” and “prayer” which seemed a little superfluous, but for its finding insightful connections between cosmic events and human life.
She points out that there has always been a fascination with the stars, the celestial bodies that we see in the sky, increasingly more all the time with increasingly sophisticated telescopes which has developed into what today, we call cosmology, he study of the origin and development of the universe. Cannato’s aim is to reconcile religion and science which went their separate ways in the 17th century, and to show that the truths and stories of one are compatible with the other.
One key concept that both share is that of the process of evolution that moves toward increasing complexity. Everything in the universe is interconnected, but in ways we don’t understand. For example, seventy per cent of the universe is made up of dark energy, twenty five per cent is dark matter, and only five per cent is ordinary matter. She comments that the language of religious mystics insisting that our lives are rooted in mystery often parallels the language of science in its unsolved mysteries.
Starting with the Big Bang theory that the universe was created by cataclysmic explosive beginning, matter has been “developing, rearranging, reconstituting, evolving, growing, transcending,” all of which she finds similar to how an individual human being develops. The implication is that the universe is not something “out there” but a process that we humans are a part of. In religious terms, that is an acknowledgment that at the heart of reality is a mysterious reality that we call “God” that permeates all things. It’s often recognized in apprehension of natural beauty and power.
“God” has been metaphorically depicted in terms of light, and studies of light in the 20th century led to Einstein’s theory of relativity, that time, length, and mass are not absolute, all of which leads to increasing self-awareness. In Cannato’s religious framework, the Christian notion of “Incarnation” becomes a process by which God becomes human through Christ, an “evolutionary advance”, meaning that Christ, as a human, becomes Godlike, and the human species likewise can embody some of the capacities that are fundamental to the nature of God.
Returning to the Big Bang theory, the universe, as a result of this beginning, is expanding at an ever increasing rate, one that in the end may collapse into a density that after contracting may explode again in another big bang. There are similarities in human terms of how individuals experience “black holes,” unseen forces that threaten to pull us into self-annihilation. She draws on Carl Jung’s theories which depicted a “shadow” self, the unconscious part of our personality that we prefer to avoid, but one that will always make itself felt.
Finally, there is death which has always been a part of the ongoing development of the universe. Supernovas, for example, are the death eruptions of stars. They are stunningly beautiful but they are images of passing away. In the same way, humans are constantly passing out of existence. We shatter and disappear, but our resurrection simply means that we become a part of the whole. Death is part of the fabric of the universe with black holes, for example, being a part of the death cycle.
Much of Connato’s book is speculation, but without speculation we are helpless in the face of what is going on in our universe. Even words and mathematical formulas in the end are inadequate to clarify cosmic mysteries. It is our nature, though, to continue to try to understand.
She points out that there has always been a fascination with the stars, the celestial bodies that we see in the sky, increasingly more all the time with increasingly sophisticated telescopes which has developed into what today, we call cosmology, he study of the origin and development of the universe. Cannato’s aim is to reconcile religion and science which went their separate ways in the 17th century, and to show that the truths and stories of one are compatible with the other.
One key concept that both share is that of the process of evolution that moves toward increasing complexity. Everything in the universe is interconnected, but in ways we don’t understand. For example, seventy per cent of the universe is made up of dark energy, twenty five per cent is dark matter, and only five per cent is ordinary matter. She comments that the language of religious mystics insisting that our lives are rooted in mystery often parallels the language of science in its unsolved mysteries.
Starting with the Big Bang theory that the universe was created by cataclysmic explosive beginning, matter has been “developing, rearranging, reconstituting, evolving, growing, transcending,” all of which she finds similar to how an individual human being develops. The implication is that the universe is not something “out there” but a process that we humans are a part of. In religious terms, that is an acknowledgment that at the heart of reality is a mysterious reality that we call “God” that permeates all things. It’s often recognized in apprehension of natural beauty and power.
“God” has been metaphorically depicted in terms of light, and studies of light in the 20th century led to Einstein’s theory of relativity, that time, length, and mass are not absolute, all of which leads to increasing self-awareness. In Cannato’s religious framework, the Christian notion of “Incarnation” becomes a process by which God becomes human through Christ, an “evolutionary advance”, meaning that Christ, as a human, becomes Godlike, and the human species likewise can embody some of the capacities that are fundamental to the nature of God.
Returning to the Big Bang theory, the universe, as a result of this beginning, is expanding at an ever increasing rate, one that in the end may collapse into a density that after contracting may explode again in another big bang. There are similarities in human terms of how individuals experience “black holes,” unseen forces that threaten to pull us into self-annihilation. She draws on Carl Jung’s theories which depicted a “shadow” self, the unconscious part of our personality that we prefer to avoid, but one that will always make itself felt.
Finally, there is death which has always been a part of the ongoing development of the universe. Supernovas, for example, are the death eruptions of stars. They are stunningly beautiful but they are images of passing away. In the same way, humans are constantly passing out of existence. We shatter and disappear, but our resurrection simply means that we become a part of the whole. Death is part of the fabric of the universe with black holes, for example, being a part of the death cycle.
Much of Connato’s book is speculation, but without speculation we are helpless in the face of what is going on in our universe. Even words and mathematical formulas in the end are inadequate to clarify cosmic mysteries. It is our nature, though, to continue to try to understand.
December 24, 2015
A short but compelling little book on how science and theology are slowly coming closer together with the rise of quantum mechanics and the "New Physics." A book that filled me with joy and peace in the reading, and provided a lot of food for later thought. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished reading it. Very much in the vein of theologians like Richard Rohr and scientist-mystics like Teilhard de Chardin.
July 25, 2012
I read this for my doctoral studies at Houston Graduate School of Theology. Read this devotionally. The title is appropriate. I was amazed at the science and the way the author connected it to the Scripture.
February 4, 2014
A welcome and challenging read that draws on seminal hearts like Teilhard, Hopkins and Heschel. It was like coming home.
April 22, 2018
Almost weekly, there seems to be another discovery by astronomers or physicists about the nature of our universe. I bought Judy Cannato's book last summer around the time of the total solar eclipse and have been savoring it every since. She not only explains some of the major findings about our vast and mysterious cosmic home, but splendidly connects these discoveries to what they say about the divine and the inter-connectedness of all creation. Not a book to speed-read, but to savor.
August 7, 2011
It was a very interesting read especially how the author shares her contemplative lessons. Like the prayer aspect as well. Cannato shows in a very real way that science and religion really can be companions. It helped me to again affirm my belief that everything (and everyone) is connected.
December 26, 2023
I am in two minds about this book. There is a lot that I agree with, most crucially that the discoveries of science urge us to conceptualise an image of God that is much more expansive than anything previously imagined. It invites us to reflect on the fact that we are, as far as we know and at least on this planet, the only creatures capable of contemplating the cosmos. It urges us to consider our interconnectedness. It drives home the reality of a universe that is utterly mindboggling and that should excite and amaze us.
So far, so good. On the downside, there is much in the book, both the science talk and the theology talk, that is vague to the point of waffle and where the connections between the scientific and theological concepts are just some fairly laboured metaphors. This is particularly evident in the chapter about black holes, the main point of which has virtually nothing to do with black holes at all. Furthermore, given the cosmic scope of the book, it is remarkable what it leaves out: There is no reference whatsoever to the theodicy, nor any consideration of sentient beings other than humans in this enormous cosmos. Cannato speak repeatedly of the connectedness of all life, but each time she skips from humans straight to mountains and rivers, as if animals do not even exist. The possibility of alien life appears not to have crossed her mind. Finally, her vision of the new radically amazing existence of the homo universalis is somewhat underwhelming: listen to the birdsong, watch the clouds. If that’s all there is to it, then I have been homo universalis all my life.
Favourite sentence: “God calls us to be co-creators not because we have earned the right, but because we are able to receive the gift.”
So far, so good. On the downside, there is much in the book, both the science talk and the theology talk, that is vague to the point of waffle and where the connections between the scientific and theological concepts are just some fairly laboured metaphors. This is particularly evident in the chapter about black holes, the main point of which has virtually nothing to do with black holes at all. Furthermore, given the cosmic scope of the book, it is remarkable what it leaves out: There is no reference whatsoever to the theodicy, nor any consideration of sentient beings other than humans in this enormous cosmos. Cannato speak repeatedly of the connectedness of all life, but each time she skips from humans straight to mountains and rivers, as if animals do not even exist. The possibility of alien life appears not to have crossed her mind. Finally, her vision of the new radically amazing existence of the homo universalis is somewhat underwhelming: listen to the birdsong, watch the clouds. If that’s all there is to it, then I have been homo universalis all my life.
Favourite sentence: “God calls us to be co-creators not because we have earned the right, but because we are able to receive the gift.”
September 22, 2019
Amazing. I so appreciated the clear writing on science and the invitation to contemplate the radically amazing universe in which we live. I also appreciated hearing her speak from a Christian perspective which seemed so life-affirming and dedicated to following scientific truths. I struggled with the chapter on morphogenic fields and hope that if she were alive today, she would be even more questioning about whether there is a scientific basis for believing that we can detect changes in global consciousness (the findings on 9/11 have since been discredited, but her footnotes helped me find that later science). In the end, I appreciated how even in that chapter, she used scientific findings as ways to have new images for our interconnectedness with each other and with God. The chapter on supernovas and the way death and life are interconnected was deeply moving to me. I’ve been reading it slowly, a little bit here and there, and plan to keep it as a treasure in my library to dip back into in the future.
February 24, 2026
I read this as an assignment for my spiritual direction course, and I have to write a paper on it—otherwise I wouldn’t have finished it. I’m all for reflective writing that harmonizes spirituality with other ways of knowing, but this was just not for me.
The connections she makes between cosmological concepts and spiritual ideas often felt forced. Much of it was so vague it felt like woo-woo word salad. Except for the sections that were so detailed they either induced rolled eyes (at the obvious) or glazed eyes (I didn't need or want a breakdown of the equation for photosynthesis). She works her title into the text ad nauseam, shoehorning it into the final sentence of almost every chapter, and lots of other places besides. (“How radically amazing!”) Then there was the chapter where she suggested that on 9/11, “global consciousness was alerted” five hours before the first plane hit. And the part where she frames the incarnation of Christ as an “an evolutionary step forward.” I…just can’t.
I did like the connections Cannato makes in the chapter on black holes and self-destruction, as well as some of her discussion on Jungian concepts of the shadow. The bits I got the most out of were the contemplative practices and the prayers that closed each chapter.
The connections she makes between cosmological concepts and spiritual ideas often felt forced. Much of it was so vague it felt like woo-woo word salad. Except for the sections that were so detailed they either induced rolled eyes (at the obvious) or glazed eyes (I didn't need or want a breakdown of the equation for photosynthesis). She works her title into the text ad nauseam, shoehorning it into the final sentence of almost every chapter, and lots of other places besides. (“How radically amazing!”) Then there was the chapter where she suggested that on 9/11, “global consciousness was alerted” five hours before the first plane hit. And the part where she frames the incarnation of Christ as an “an evolutionary step forward.” I…just can’t.
I did like the connections Cannato makes in the chapter on black holes and self-destruction, as well as some of her discussion on Jungian concepts of the shadow. The bits I got the most out of were the contemplative practices and the prayers that closed each chapter.
January 2, 2024
Very interesting read! I really appreciated the space and nature metaphors for religious and spiritual « parallels »… but at time I think the author went beyond metaphor and tried to argue faith is nature or science more concretely, and I just don’t think they can be thought of as the same in terms of way-of-life… like, they’re compatible and they feed off each other, absolutely, but proving a new theory of science does not further « prove » God or faith… bc the whole idea of Faith in that it cannot BE proven (like science at least)… that aspect bothered me a bit. One other negative I found was the author often would enter into a bit of word salad, where there would be phrases that didn’t explain themselves and felt like saying words for the sake of saying words… that was frustrating a bit.
All in all, good metaphors and food for thought(:
All in all, good metaphors and food for thought(:
May 23, 2024
This is such a beautiful book! Judy takes a long loving look at the universe as we are able to understand it in the 21st century. She fully appreciates how in the last 150 years our understanding of the universe has expanded exponentially. In her contemplative reflections she emerges with very beautiful new metaphors for the spiritual life.
April 2, 2020
Radically Amazing Book.
This book is radically amazing!!! I highly recommend it. The way she connects the story of the universe with the story of Jesus, our story, and the connectedness between us all is radically amazing.
This book is radically amazing!!! I highly recommend it. The way she connects the story of the universe with the story of Jesus, our story, and the connectedness between us all is radically amazing.
November 10, 2022
Excellent! I love how this encouraged me to stretch my mind and expand my vision and understanding of the universe and of the divine. It was very challenging and great to read as part of a book discussion group.
May 1, 2018
I give five stars to books that are creative or entertaining or cause a lasting shift in my perspective on something. This book inspired me to see beauty and interconnectedness in new ways.
August 6, 2018
Beautiful book intertwining science and theology. The meditations and prayers at the end of each chapter make it more like a devotional.
January 9, 2019
I really loved this book which brings science, theology and contemplative practice together.
April 10, 2021
Spirituality in the context of new science of the cosmos.
April 28, 2023
Moves me every time. I'm on my fourth trip through the universe with Judy. Rich. Stirring.
March 26, 2024
crazy stuff
September 25, 2015
I read this as part of a book club group where we read a chapter a week and rrflrcted/commented on it. In that setting I definitely recommend the book. For me, it was not new information but the way the author connected the cosmology and science of the universe with theological concepts was one which was thought provoking. I may not have agreed with some of her assertions or conclusions, but the boom is actually a really good approach to looming at our faith in conjunction with the universe around us in a way that leads not to concrete answers but to awe and mystery. Some great metaphors. Some ideas I cannot get behind but still was a great conversation partner. It is good for those who have issues pitting science against theology/spirituality.
March 20, 2015
My book group (a Christian Life Community) was reading Louis Savary's The Divine Milieu Explained.
An Amazon review of the Savary book was by Judy Cannato. I liked the review and looked her up, and found this 2006 book, Radical Amazement: Contemplative Lessons from Black Holes, Supernovas, and Other Wonders of the Universe. It is a wonderful book -- educational, inspiring, insightful. It's beautifully written, as well. Judy Cannato died 4 years ago. http://ncronline.org/blogs/eco-cathol... Her life and this book were a gift to us.
An Amazon review of the Savary book was by Judy Cannato. I liked the review and looked her up, and found this 2006 book, Radical Amazement: Contemplative Lessons from Black Holes, Supernovas, and Other Wonders of the Universe. It is a wonderful book -- educational, inspiring, insightful. It's beautifully written, as well. Judy Cannato died 4 years ago. http://ncronline.org/blogs/eco-cathol... Her life and this book were a gift to us.
January 10, 2017
This book's subhead reads: "Contemplative lessons from black holes, supernovas, and other wonders of the universe." In the introduction, Judy Cannato's first quote is from Abraham Heschel, "Awareness of the divine begins with wonder." Cannato then takes the reader into the radically amazing wonders of our universe, our God (the incomprehensible Holy Mystery, a term used by Karl Rahner), and our increasingly conscious awareness of the oneness of ALL: radical amazement!
March 30, 2011
Intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking, a spiritual reconciliation of the origins of the universe and Scripture. Not your bible-thumping literal interpretation but gives words we take for granted a deep meaning. A must read for the open-minded seeker.
December 11, 2010
Amazing!!
December 31, 2010
reading one chapter at a time - a bit over my head or it is a bit out of its head-
parts are interesting and shakeup thinking a little
parts are interesting and shakeup thinking a little
November 13, 2012
An amazing book
February 3, 2015
a bit weird for me
The side as presented were beyond my own on Creation. this was a required text for my spiritual direction training. The discussions to follow will be interesting.
The side as presented were beyond my own on Creation. this was a required text for my spiritual direction training. The discussions to follow will be interesting.
February 7, 2024
Great book for reflection. Comparing and contrasting the love of God and science. How they intertwine. How we can move forward to a more loving world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews