Stephen, like rest of his family, had
been baptised a Methodist but declared
himself to be agnostic. Jane was brought
up in the Church of England and her faith
became deeper and stronger as the need for
spiritual help and support grew over the
years. Stephen, on the other hand, would
not accept anything he could not explain
rationally, even if Jane pointed out that he
could maybe find how the Universe and
everything else had started, but not why.
When the producers of films such as
Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pride and Preju-
dice and Bridget Jones declared themselves
ready to work alongside Stephen and Jane,
they accepted the proposal to make her
book into a film. Stephen would have liked
it more scientific and science-centred; Jane
was keener on feelings and everyday life.
The film was a success even if Jane didn’t
manage to correct all the many mistakes
and to abolish all the F… words. She com-
plained that lazy journalists are transforming lies, inventions or mistakes into
facts. She thinks the actors were superb, though, especially Eddie Redmayne
for his portrait of Stephen.
Jane feels that miracles can happen; the important thing is to recognise
and accept them. Indeed they can also come in the form of an inspiration,
especially when sitting in a little church trying to pray or walking under a
sky full of stars. Or moreover like finding Jonathan—who is now her second
husband—and who was a great friend and support of both Stephen and Jane.
For Stephen, everything was Mathematics, and Maths is beautiful but not
accessible to most people and it does not explain everything. Could it be that
God the Mathematician, the Creator of the Universe, is also the loving caring
being who sent us his own incarnation in the form of Jesus Christ to comfort
and help us to live our lives in the knowledge that when we struggle and
have difficulties He is there to help? Not waving a magic wand, but giving us
the strength to persevere when life gets tough and to support us with hope
when we feel we have reached our limits.
She concluded by saying that she hopes that Stephen has heard the music
of the stars and has unveiled the mysteries and the secrets of the Universe but
has also discovered the love and mercy of God.
(Jane Hawking’s books are published by Alma Books.)
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