An Extraordinary Experience of Nature

     Much of the United States today was caught up in the extraordinary solar eclipse of 2017.  This eclipse of the sun cut a path across the United States from West to East with some truly mind blowing visual experiences.  People traveled across the country and from other parts of the world to observe this rare phenomenon.  One of our priests, my classmate Msgr. Paul Fitzmaurice and Deacon Dan Carr, assigned to his parish, travelled after mass yesterday to Paul's brother's home in Kentucky to view the eclipse.

     While our observation in Pennsylvania was not total, it stirred great excitement and enthusiasm, and science was brought to the fore of newscasts and programing.  The next such eclipse will not occur in at least my lifetime, until sometime in the 2040's.

     While attention today is drawn to the scientific world, it ultimately draws our attention to the creator of sun and moon, of stars and sky, of time and space.  The beauty of today's experience is found in the magnificence of our Creator God.  The Church is, and has been for centuries, keenly aware of that truth.  The Church studies the skies in ways that the world is barely aware of.   There is an excellent article by Joan Lewis, the Rome correspondent of EWTN, on her blog "Joan's Rome", describing the interest of the Church in these celestial studies.  It can be found at www.joansrome.wordpress.com and is highly recommended.

    I hope that you had a good experience of today's eclipse, and I hope that the hype led you to reflect upon the awesome beauty and complex power of God.