Now
that the Solar Eclipse has occurred on the face of the universe, I would like
to make some observations even though I am not an astronomer and have not seen
the eclipse either. My observations might have a touch of rational and
religious facet, because, there is a thin line between reason and religion or
science and spiritual. I would like to add a little flavour to the natural
phenomena with super-natural phenomena without undermining the natural element.
Jesuit
Brother Guy Consolmagno, a planetary scientist and the director of the Vatican
Observatory, and also an expert in asteroids and meteorites, made an
interesting mention in the Time Magazine on Thursday, August 17. He says, “this
phenomenon of the solar eclipse must remind us of the immense beauty of the
universe, which occurs outside our small world of our occupations. It takes us
away from our own world to remind us that we are part of a great, glorious and
beautiful universe. The meaning of any phenomenon comes with enquiries and we
can approach this phenomenon spiritually to bring meaning to our lives
irrespective of our traditions. Ask yourself, what are the questions that rise
in me? and answer these in your own heart first.”
Brother
Guy reminds that Mother Mary pondered everything in her heart and she did not
take on to write theology about what she pondered in her heart. She simply took
time to reflect and meditate on realities of life and this way she understood
the plan of God for her. We too need to spend time to reflect and mediate in
our hearts and ponder and savour them in our hearts first before we make a
public extravaganza.
Brother
Guy remarked that the solar eclipse is not something to be worshipped or fear
but it is something to enjoy and be able to ponder to wonder. I was pondering,
how would it feel to be under the shadow of the moon but unfortunately I was
not lucky as people in Kentucky to be under the shadow of the moon. I guess, it
would not be extraordinary in the sense of the being under a shadow, but very
fact that you are under the shadow of the moon, is something super
extraordinary. I would have pondered and cherished those moments of shadow on
me. My expression would have been more poetic if that happened to me or “to God
be the Glory.”
My
way of looking at this experience will be different than others, because I
believe that God has a way to show his grandeur more concretely through the
natural occurrence. God chose to make this rational universe so that we can
predict this natural occurrence with great precision, although not every
natural phenomenon can be predicted with precision. We, as humans grasp the
natural phenomenon through our senses as much as we could but beyond our
senses, the universe remains speculative reality. In other words, we see the
universe and its contents differently, such as, poet might not look at the
universe as a cosmologist would look at it. Therefore, it is important for us
to reflect on natural phenomenon keeping supernatural reality on the hindsight.
If we try to separate these two realities, we will ignore what is beyond our
comprehension. We are fortunate to gaze the solar eclipse through our senses.
This eclipse has to help to live in peace and harmony because we live under the
same sun and its shadow. This also must motivate us to learn more through
scientific and spiritual mind.
In
conclusion, I would like to encourage us to be meditative and simply ponder the
events that occur in the universe. Some events would be once-in-a-life time
experience so savour those moments that nature show us. Nature is the best
teacher and nature can teach us that God is ever present in us. Nature has its
own rhythm, which must help us to respect nature and its ways of functioning.
As Christians, we are privileged to have known and experienced God in our
day-today lives, and more specifically in the day-today functioning of the
universe.
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