heavenly bodies
It has been an extraordinary two weeks. On Friday, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake centered in northwest New Jersey hit the eastern seaboard. It was felt as far north as Boston and as far south as Baltimore. In the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 26th, the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a 1.6 mile span that carried 12.4 million vehicles in 2023 collapsed into the Port of Baltimore, killing six workers. The bridge is named after the author of the Star Spangled Banner, who witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British navy on September 2nd, 1814.
This past Monday, a week ago tomorrow, seven aid workers who had just delivered food to starving Gazan civilians were blown up by the IDF using nighttime drones as they returned from their mission of mercy. They were traveling in a vehicle clearly marked with the World Central Kitchen logo, a non-profit, non-governmental organization which provides food in war zones and areas of natural disasters. Seven heroes from six different countries perished.
Yet with all the anguish and death, we once again can turn to God and nature, music and art, as a salve for our wounds. On Monday, more than thirty million people in the US will be able to see a total solar eclipse, when there will be darkness for four minutes as the moon passes exactly between our eyes and the sun, thus blocking the sun’s light. While many solar eclipses pass unseen over the ocean, this particular event will first appear in Mexico at about 11:07 am and then cut a swathe across the US from Texas to Maine and then into Canada. As darkness descends on parts of the country tomorrow, we will get a peek at a part of the sun that has fascinated scientists for centuries; it’s corona, it’s crown, it’s atmosphere. The corona is the hottest part of the sun despite being on its edge. Yet, because of the sun’s incredible brightness, the corona is impossible to see. But not tomorrow. And for the fortunate millions who safely view the eclipse, they may even see the rare “double diamond ring,” where two blazing points of light appear at the edge of the moon.
Try and find THAT at Tiffany’s!
When millions of people in our country experience the eclipse tomorrow, perhaps we can put aside our strife, division, cruelty, apathy, and behold the Celestial Bodies, the Heavenly Bodies with wonderment and awe. They are all-powerful and will be there long after we are gone. Although each of us is just a transitory speck in the universe, we can try and remember to show someone some kindness tomorrow and every day,
