The old cliche claims, "A picture says a thousand words." This cliche may need to be revisited. When seeing the Facebook pic of Dr. Katie Bouman reacting to the first image of a black hole, I wondered what is more striking? A picture that will become one of history's most iconic images of a black hole or a smile so full of pure, infectious joy that it has entranced the world. Congratulations Dr. Bouman, your smile is one of the few things powerful enough to rival a picture that carries the historic significance of the Apollo 11 landing! I also think it is noteworthy that this may become the first Facebook profile picture to end up in every science textbook on the planet!

The smile and the black hole. This picture of Dr. Katie Bouman says far more than 1,000 words!

Sadly, the vicious nature of social media is trying to damage this wonderful scientist's achievement. Ignoring the fact that Dr. Bouman is downplaying her role in this image, giving equal if not more credit to the international team of scientists that turned the Earth into a telescope to take this image, the cyber trolls have shown no interest in learning the truth about this brilliant woman.

My first exposure to Dr. Bouman was about a year ago while watching a TEDx talk she gave on her contribution to this historic image. What struck me the first time I saw the talk was excitement, both at the possibility of imaging a black hole, but also feeding off Dr. Bouman's visible passion explaining the science behind this imaging process. I invite you to watch this TEDx talk to hear Dr. Bouman explain the science in her own words.

As much as I would love to wax eloquently about her great analogies of counting oranges, turning the Earth into a disco ball, quoting Mick Jagger, and teaching computers to identify selfies, all analogies that will serve her well as an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology, I want to focus on her team's goal: The imaging of a black hole.

What blew me away was when I re-watched her TEDx talk about what scientists thought they would see and then watched a video from last week of Dr. Bouman and other contributing scientists explaining what they did see. Watch this next video and I think you can get a clearer appreciation as to why Dr. Bouman is so happy!

I can't imagine the joy a scientist must feel when something they have worked on is finally put to the test and is proven to be accurate. Yes, this image is only the first of many that will further our understanding of the wondrous creation we live in, but it is the first!

For me, it is easy to make a connection between Dr. Bouman's facebook pic and the first fruit of the Holy Spirit we encounter in Scripture: Joy. The joy I see in Dr. Bouman is not only an iconic image that affirms her role in this historic image, but it should remind us of the joy we all desire and need. Dr. Bouman's joy also affirms something I have shared with you in the past: One of the greatest lessons that science teaches me is that life is a journey of exploration and discovery of the world God made and the people God made us to be - and I must embrace my part of this exploration!

Spiritual Exercise: Do we find joy in our life? If we don't, could it be that what is lacking is a meaningful journey, a pilgrimage to help us understand ourselves, the world we live in, the God we love, and the God who loves us? Could it be that science once again has taught us that the limits of the human person are only those we place upon ourselves, challenging us to explore new horizons to find deeper meaning and purpose?

Thank you Dr. Bouman, along with your team, for the historic work you have done. Thank you for inspiring many young women and men who will want to become scientists because of your work. And thank you for reminding this star gazing priest that at the heart of all of our lives is a longing for sincere joy that breathes life into the human person. Joy that you found in the first image of a black hole. Joy you have shared with the world through a smile.

One of the occupational hazards of priesthood is becoming a "workaholic." Priests are encouraged to take a day off every week as part of our Sabbath rest. This sounds simple enough, but between weekend Masses, sick calls, funerals, daily Mass, religious education for the parish, committee meetings, parish events, social outreach, and making sure the parish's boilers are in good working order, it is easy to fall into the trap of never taking time away from the work we do as clergy.

As is the case with many priests, I found myself in just such a scenario about two years ago. Without getting into the details, I began to see that the ministry I loved was actually creating health warning signs that I was approaching burnout. Now that I can look in the proverbial rear-view-mirror and feel thankful that the burnout I experienced is no longer a part of my priestly ministry, I now have a new goal: Make sure I never allow myself to become a workaholic again!

Through this journey, I've come to realize the importance of taking a Sabbath rest. When the Commandments call us to Keep Holy The Sabbath, many can reduce this Commandment to attending Mass on Sunday or some other type of religious observance depending on what faith tradition you affiliate with. The deeper context of the Sabbath points to two, essential needs for the human person: We need to stay grounded in our prayer and our bodies need rest.

As I have been prayerfully considering how best to keep holy the Sabbath, I'm feeling moved to use my day off as an opportunity to explore my love of music and astronomy. As I shared with you in previous posts, I had a wonderful vacation in Phoenix, Arizona after the Faith and Astronomy Workshop. After hiking up Superstition Mountain and recording music in a beautiful bowl shaped canyon, I am now inspired to relive this experience as part of my Sabbath rest.

To do this, I want to combine my love of the outdoors, music, and astronomy into a creative endeavor to help feed me spiritually. My new goal (once the weather turns to late spring/early summer) is to take periodic overnight trips to beautiful, dark sky places in Wisconsin and the Midwest, do some star gazing and astrophotography at night, and then record some of my favorite music in these beautiful places. The end result will be creating a series of short videos of my journeys that will be a kind of "Astronomy Scrapbook" of the places I've been and the things I've seen in the night sky.

Now, some of you that are familiar with Astronomy might be thinking, "Your plan sounds more like work that relaxation Father!" And, in many cases, you would be right. Astronomy is a labor intensive hobby with setup, calibration, planning, and then dealing with whatever the night throws at you in regard to weather. However, the advancements in technology combined with creative minds is taking the complexities of things like astrophotography and are providing creative solutions so many people can more easily enter into the exploration of the night sky.

Image of the Milky Way taken with the Nano1 prototype, the TinyMOS camera I have ordered.

There is a small company out of Singapore called TinyMOS. It is a company that is producing the first cameras that have astronomy presets that allow the beginner photographer to do "point and shoot" photography of the night sky. The way this is done is by noise reduction and shutter presets in the camera software that allows you to identify the type of object you are trying to image and then the camera automatically adjusts the exposure settings to help you take your image. I have ordered one of these cameras and have been notified that it just went to production! I contacted TinyMOS and asked them if I could do a review of their camera for The Catholic Astronomer once it arrives and they graciously agreed.

The reason I'm sharing this information with you is not to endorse this company (The Catholic Astronomer doesn't do business endorsements and this post should not be seen as one) nor am I getting any type of compensation from TinyMOS to mention their company (I'm paying the same amount as everyone else is for the camera). Instead, the reason I think you should know about TinyMOS is because of its founder, Grey Tan. When I heard his TEDx talk on why he wanted to develop a point and shoot astronomy camera, I found a number of similarities between how he came to love the night sky and the journey I have been on as a hobby astronomer. Here's his presentation to help give insight into his journey.

What strikes me about Grey Tan's presentation is how a powerful experience of seeing the Milky Way Galaxy for the first time gave birth to passion not only to create a new gizmo, but further his love and understanding of the night sky. This passion is something he wishes to share by allowing others to experience what he experienced in his astronomy class. It is this passionate heart that resonates deeply with my experience, wanting to share my love of astronomy with all of you as a Diocesan Priest. And, if the camera performs as advertised, perhaps I'll be able to share some images from my journeys to beautiful places in Wisconsin in the weeks and months ahead!

Spiritual Exercise: What experiences have you had with the night sky that drive you to want to deepen your love and understanding of astronomy? How can you possibly do astronomy as part of your Sabbath rest, getting away from the work you do and providing an opportunity to delight in God's creation? Do you take a Sabbath rest or has work become so consuming in your life that you are burning out and in need of some time for rest and rejuvenation? Pray with these questions and, together, let us find creative ways to further our love of the heavens. Who knows - It just might be that God is inviting you to behold the beauty of the cosmos as part of your Sabbath rest!

Last weekend, the Gospel we reflected upon was Luke's version of the Beatitudes. What makes Luke's presentation of those who are blessed unique is his emphasis on the immediacy of those who are blessed in contrast to the Gospel of Matthew. Let's take a look at a side by side comparison of the beatitudes from both Gospels.

The altar at the local parish in Lurin, Peru. If you notice, it is open air. In this poor neighborhood, their Church is four cement walls, donated furniture, and enough roofing to cover part of the structure to offer shade during Mass.

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way.” (Luke 6:20-26)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12)

One way to approach these differing texts is to explore the subjective and objective nature of each. With Matthew's beatitudes, they ring more subjectively, using broader language that can be applied in many ways, making it easier to reflect on questions like, "How am I called to be poor in spirit?" Luke, on the other hand, is radically objective, using language that begs an immediate recognition those who are blessed by God this very moment. Whether it be the stark use of "Blessed are you who are poor" or the insertion of the word "now" when we hear "blessed you who are now hungry," Luke forces us into an immediacy of finding in this very moment those who are blessed by God.

In regard to blessed are you poor, it reminded me of an experience I had while at a homeless day center in St. Louis, Missouri. I had taken a group of college students from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse on a spring break mission trip to this day center. We stayed there all week, sleeping on the floor, and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the homeless who would come to the shelter. The staff was trying to break those who came of the habit of gambling, so they would not allow card playing at the shelter. However, they would let them play chess. Throughout the day, the day center looked more like an ongoing chess tournament instead of a day shelter for the homeless.

There was one gentleman I had the honor of meeting that shared his life story with me. He grew up in some of the more impoverished areas of St. Louis, but he worked hard, got an education, went to college, and then began his own business. He was married and had two wonderful daughters. As we spoke, my first thought was, "So, how did he end up homeless?" In that moment, the fact he was homeless seemed to disappear. Instead, I felt like I was playing chess with one of my parishioners or students. When I finally found the courage to ask him what led to his homelessness, one word came from his mouth with an expression that was twisted with emotional pain: Heroin.

As he recounted how Heroin destroyed his business, his marriage, and his relationship with his daughters, he suddenly remembered, "It's my daughter's birthday today!" He rose from the chess game as if we had never made a move, called her to wish her a happy birthday, and his daughter hung up on him. He came back, sobbing, and told me the heartbreaking end to his conversation.

It was then that Luke's version of the beatitudes spoke fresh to me when the Gospel proclaims, "Blessed are you who are poor... Blessed are you who now are weeping... Woe to you who are rich... Woe to you who laugh now." It became clear to me that Luke pointed to the man across the chess board as being blessed in the immediacy of that moment with poverty and grief. And I felt God tug at me, asking,"The blessing of the poor is before you rich young man, how will you assist him in his need?"

I am not qualified to assist him with his heroin addiction. However, I can help him find food to eat, clothes to wear, the basic necessities of life. And this is where we can see Care for Creation in the Catholic Church as not only a question of whether or not we recycle, but to acknowledge that if we are to take care of the poor in our mist to provide food, shelter, and the basic necessities of life, we need an environment that can provide us with the raw materials to make real these Works of Mercy.

As I have shared with you in the past, one of the most hopeful areas of collaboration I see between faith and science are the areas of Care for Creation and the Corporal Works of Mercy. The beatitudes from the Gospel of Luke clearly state that the blessed are ever present, identifiable if we allow our eyes to see them. Yet, for those of use who fit clearly into the "Woe to you" part of Luke's Gospel, there is a clear call to comfort the poor, to comfort those who grieve, and provide for those who hunger and thirst.

I see a clear connection with the Gospel's call to care for those in need and the work of NASA and ESA when it comes to monitoring our environment. When I heard of NASA's Tom and Jerry satellites, I first thought of one my favorite cartoons from my youth. Though I haven't watched an episode of this ongoing cat and mouse chase for many years, the metaphor was clear and fitting: Two satellites that are constantly chasing each other through the night sky. And what, might you ask, is the purpose for this astronomical game of cat and mouse? The answer is simple, but crucial: Water.

When reflecting on the changes occurring in our environment and the impact it has on drinkable water, I can think of few more important and urgent points of collaboration between faith and science then to ensure water for the peoples of the world. Water, obviously, not only speaks to what we drink, but also is necessary for healthy ecosystems and stable food production. When natural resources become scarce, poverty deepens, homelessness rises, desperation robs the human person of their moral capacities, choosing to justify immoral and criminal behavior for the purpose of survival. This type of social environment can lead to hopelessness and the rise of addictions to cope with reality.

The homeless man I played chess with was a victim of addiction. Yes, one might argue that he made the initial decision to take illegal drugs. At the same time, what started as a free decision became a debilitating addiction and disease. This devastating cycle of choice, impact of the choice, and long term ramification of the choice that robs the person of the ability to choose is at the heart of most addictions.

I see a similar trend in Care for Creation. We can choose to either use the best science set before us to inform our decisions on care for creation or ignore the science and do what we know will harm our environment, similar to someone experimenting with illegal drugs. Whether we want to admit it or not, those decision will have an impact upon not only ourselves, but also those around us and the world we live. In time, if those choices do not change, the environment becomes overwhelmed and the ability to choose what is best for our common home does little to no good for the environment. Similar to addiction, the dangerous part of not caring for creation is that we don't always see the impact of our decisions immediately. It is only when we become painfully aware that something must change that we find ourselves staring at a mountain many fear they cannot climb. This begs a stark question: What is the mountain we are standing before as a global community that needs to be overcome to properly care for creation?

Spiritual Exercise: Do we see Care for Creation being intimately connected with the moral choices we make? Do we see the call to care for the poor in our midst as including ecological choices to protect our ability to practice the Corporal Works of Mercy? Pray with these questions and, together, let us embrace a life of beatitude that we may both be blessed by God and bless those we have to opportunity to support as fellow sojourners in Christ, sharing the gift of our common home.

As I mentioned last week, God blessed me with a wonderfully restful vacation after the Faith and Astronomy Workshop. Restful, that is, until my cellphone died and lost all ability to use the navigation software. When it first happened, I thought, "I've been driving these roads in Phoenix, Arizona for four days now - I'll be fine without Siri." Four hours later, I thanked God for helping me find the house I was staying at, exhausted from the mental stress of asking, "What is this place, how did I get here, and how do I get home?!"

In my defense, even parishioners who spend a great deal of time snow birding (a term used to identify primarily retired people from Wisconsin who spend the bulk of winter in Arizona) complemented me on my courage to try to navigate the city of Phoenix with no GPS. Nevertheless, there is something of the rural kid in me that felt like I failed to use my "natural" directional instincts to find my way home.

What does this have to do with faith and astronomy? One of the tensions I live in as a hobby astronomer is to balance the limited time I have to give to astronomy (given my "day job" as a priest) and the time consuming nature of doing astronomy. I feel blessed with the emerging technologies of automated telescopes that figure out your position for you or augmented reality star charts you can download for free on your cellphone that point you (sometimes) in the right direction of a star or planet. These gifts of technology can help maximize what little time I have to observe the night sky... when they work properly. And therein lies the problem: What happens if we become so codependent upon technology to enjoy the night sky that a dead battery, a worn gear, or a program that becomes corrupt can bring a screeching halt to enjoying the heavens?

The question of how codependent we have become on technology points to another foundational question: Do we even know the "neighborhood" of the night sky?" The first telltale sign that we are too dependent upon technology when observing the heavens is if we look up and can't identify constellations and planets. If our ability to know the night sky can only be done with an app or an automated GPS tracking system, we've put the cart before the horse. Therefore, a first principle of understanding the proper relationship between technology and astronomy would be the following: Does technology act as something that assists us to deepen a preexisting knowledge of the night sky or is our knowledge of the night sky completely dependent upon the technology we use?

The next question we need to explore is whether or not we understand both the limits and the capabilities of the observational tools we already have access to in our homes? For example, I've been slowly moving into doing photography as a hobby - both astrophotography and basic nature photography. When you begin to explore this world, you can be intimidated by camera/lens packages that run in the thousands of dollars, mounts that have directions that you need a couple dictionaries to decipher, and "suggested" telescopes that might be perfect for people who have done astrophotography for years, but would be a waste of money for those who do not know how to use the gear they have sunk a couple paychecks into. In short, as is true with most things in life, we need to start with the basics!

The best way to start with the basics is to ask, "Do I know how to take a good picture?" The advancement of cellphone cameras has given to every person the ability to take really, really nice pictures. Not only do they take nice pictures of landscapes, but also simple images of the night sky. One of the things I enjoyed doing at FAW2019 was to wake up very early and watch Venus, Jupiter, and sunrise. There are few things more beautiful than an Arizona sunrise!

 

 

 

Now, looking at these pictures, they're not the best and wont be winning any photography awards, but they are meaningful to me because they take me back to those experiences. The pictures are not the experience, but help me experience again those sacred moments. This brings up another important question when it comes to the technology of astronomy: What are you trying to accomplish with the technology, given the understanding of the heavens you have?

If you want to take a picture of a nebula, but don't even know the basics of taking good pictures, let alone night photography, it would be best to avoid buying any expensive equipment. Rather, take a good pair of binoculars or a field scope that is collecting dust in your closet, go out on a clear night and begin to get accustomed to the night sky. Find the objects that interest you, find them again, find them routinely, and then venture into the question of how to take pictures of the moon, then the planets, then stars, and then deep space objects. In other words, fall in love with the night sky first, navigate its streets without a gizmo, and then try to create meaningful reminders of your experience of the night sky. Personally, I know I will never be someone who will be shooting professional pictures for magazines, so I usually use my smartphone, a field scope, and an adapter to take images. If I want something a little more professional, I rent a quality camera and lens.

Other than the eyepiece adapter, I would guess most of you have equipment like this in your house! Cellphone - Free with contract. Field Scope - $30. Eyepiece adapter $45.

Camera I rented for under $100  over the weekend to image the lunar eclipse and take other pictures. The camera store owner was kind enough to preset the camera to the optimal settings for night photography and gave me a "101" on how to do night photography.

First test image taken with the rent-a-camera!

Moon set.

Sunrise

Eclipse pic one

Eclipse pic two

Four pictures taken with the rent-a-camera I never used before. I am particularly happy with the eclipse images since I took them through light clouds. Unfortunately, the clouds thickened just before totality.

Lunar images taken with my smartphone. Not bad!

As you can see, whether it's renting a rig for the weekend you can't afford to buy or buying an adapter for your smartphone and field scope that costs less than the rental, you can take some wonderful pictures of the night sky! The key, again, is to ask, Why are you taking the images? When I look at these pictures, I am reminded of two events: 1. My vacation in Arizona, and 2. A family that invited me over to their house because their daughter wants to get into astronomy, but wasn't sure where to start. If I want a poster for my wall, I'll go to the store and buy one - they're cheaper and higher quality. If I want to have personal, iconic reminders of some of the meaningful moments of my life, my love of the night sky, and my priesthood, I'll take these pictures any day!

Now, I'm not just trying to give you a slideshow of my adventures, but I'm trying to make a point - These pictures are wonderful, but even if I didn't have them, I would still treasure the experiences they capture. These images fail to come even close to what I experienced when I took them. I can't smell the night or morning air, I can't hear the faint calls of the birds, and I can't hear the conversations I had with the people who joined me in these moments. Photos, in my experience, always fail to grasp the essence of the moment, no matter how good they are.

Nevertheless, no matter how grainy, out of focus, or off center the image is, images like this take me back to the love I already had for the night sky. Put another way, I don't love the night sky because of the technology I use to observe the heavens - I use technology to help me remember what it was like to dream under a dark central Wisconsin night sky as a child, gazing into beautiful darkness saying profound things like, "There's Venus... There's Jupiter... There's the Big Dipper... Draw the line from the front of the cup... There's the North Star... There's the Little Dipper... Follow the arc to Arcturus." And so fourth.

Spiritual Exercise: Do you know the night sky? Are you willing to fall in love with gazing into the heavens? Does your technology limit you to what it allows you to experience or does technology deepen a love that already exists? Some may complain, "Ah, today's post was from a hopeless romantic!" A hopeless romantic indeed. And even if our technological genius someday comes crashing down, I will still be a hopeless romantic because I don't need a motor mount to point me home. I am already home in the wonderment of God's creation and the beauty of God's universe.

Fr. James, did the star of Bethlehem really exist? This is one of the most common questions I get as a priest who also loves to gaze into the heavens. There was a time I would try to explain the multiple theories of what the star might have been. Christopher Graney posted a wonderful reflection on some of these ideas just a couple of days ago. Br. Guy has also put together a wonderful video on The Star Bethlehem. I am so happy that these two brilliant minds, along with others I have read and seen, have put together these reflections to share with you. One of the reasons I'm so happy is because I feel less inclined to delve homiletically into questions of star conjunctions, supernovae, and noonday phenomena at this point of my priesthood. Instead, I find it more fruitful to ask a different kind of question: What did the Magi seek? Stated another way, What did the Magi find? 

On the surface, the answer to this question (or questions) seems rather simple: They were looking for Jesus. Yet, a powerful lesson I have learned from faith and science is that it is one thing to encounter or "find" something, but another thing to understand that encounter to its depths.

For example, I sometimes encounter well-educated parishioners who presume Jesus was a zealot in light of a popular book that embraces this thesis. The question often is stated, "Father, how can we, as Catholics, square an ethic of peace and non-violence with a Savior who was a political revolutionary?" I would agree that Jesus is revolutionary, but my retort usually begs the question, "How can an author claiming Jesus to be zealot square this thesis with Jesus' call to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us?"

When reading Scripture, it becomes clear that Jesus' innermost circle did not understand his mission and his person until after the resurrection. Some thought he was a teacher. Some thought he was a prophet. And, dare I say, there were some that wanted Jesus to be a zealot who would establish a "New Jerusalem" through military conquest. These misunderstanding of Jesus come to a head when he asks his own followers, "Who do people say that I am?" Even when Peter gets the answer "right" by saying, you are Christ, the Son of the living God, his insight is quickly met with chastisement when he tries to tell Jesus that Messiahs shouldn't suffer and die. This reminds me of another lesson I've learned from faith and science: Even when you get it right, you probably got it wrong.

Returning to our stargazing Magi, what were they looking for? An insight into this question comes by way of the gifts they bear of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold was the customary gift to present to a king. Therefore, it becomes clear that the Magi were looking for a newborn king.

At first, the gift of kingly gold may seem to support the thesis that Jesus was a militaristic zealot. However, when we add frankincense to the gift registry, things start to take on a different shape. Frankincense was the gift that was customary to give to a priest. In light of this, the Magi were not just looking for a king, but a king who also was to have a priestly ministry.

Still, these gifts don't give us the full picture of Jesus. I could easily think of a priest-king who would justify military violence through divine interdict. That is where the gift my myrrh comes in. Myrrh was used in the ancient world as a preservative and fumigant for a body after death. If we were to recast the three gifts in modern terms, Jesus would have received gold, frankincense, and embalming fluid. I don't know about you, but if a complete stranger would give a child of mine embalming fluid as a gift, I would be suspicious of these Magi to say the least!

What was the symbolism of myrrh? When read with the gifts of gold and frankincense, it points to a prophetic promise from Isaiah of a priest-king who would suffer vicariously on behalf of the people, making of himself the sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. He would be gentle and quiet like a lamb led to the slaughter. We would experience healing through the suffering he endured. I could go on, but the conclusion would still be the same: These eastern stargazing Magi who were not of the tradition that was looking for Jesus got it right!

This reflection points to yet another lesson from faith and science: Though our faith firmly embraces that all things came from the same Creator, the way we come to know the Creator can be achieved in various ways. Some may find this statement suspicious, wishing to remind me that Jesus is the sheep-gate, the only pathway to salvation. I would agree with this statement. Yet, we also need to remember that Jesus identifies himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Therefore, any sincere investigation into truth is ultimately an exploration of the source of truth. Any time we step outside of the darkness of our ignorance and sin, seeking a moment of illumination through studying the natural world or the supernatural world, we are seeking him who is the light guiding our journey: Even if that light is too intense at first and causes us to spiritually squint in our ignorance. Yet, in time, our spiritual eyes adjust, allowing us to slowly see him who is our source and summit, our Alpha and Omega, and him who is the destination of our journey. Let's face it - We're all Magi!

Spiritual Exercise: What do you seek in your life? What is the light that guides you through the darkness of our world? Do you presume to know the full extent of the light you seek or are you willing to humble your heart, presume ignorance, and allow this light to penetrate your innermost being? Pray that your quest toward truth be met with the source of truth. May you find not only the historical infant Christ, but him who is priest, prophet, and king, establishing a Kingdom of love, peace, and nonviolence.

Happy Epiphany!

The Conflicted Heart - Consume, Conserve, and Curate. Photography by Michaela Pittenger. All Rights Reserved.

The image above is a representation of three dispositions of heart the human person has toward creation:

Consume, Conserve, and Curate.

From the standpoint of Consume, it is a basic fact that the human person does need to consume certain things from creation to survive and advance as a people. Yet, we also know that consumption without moral restraints can lead to exploitation, wastefulness, and harming human dignity as the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" gets wider and wider. Consumerism also leads to an isolationist mentality in which the more we consume the more "self-centered" we approach life. Regard for how our life choices impact others is lessened, replaced by the ethic of "What is good for me is what is morally correct." This radical relativism creates deep conflicts between people and nations.

From the standpoint of Conserve, the call of Pope Francis to care for creation is deeply rooted in conservation. In the United States, what is often missed in the debate between renewable energy sources and fossil fuels is conservation. The cultural debate I often hear is, "We will have so many more people in our country in the future, so we need more energy, so we can't rely on fossil fuels alone, so we need robust renewables so we don't run out of fossil fuels." There is nothing in this statement I would disagree with. I would simply point out that there is no mention of a very important first step: How can we reduce our level of consumption, conserving our current energy production first, then explore the question of renewable versus fossil fuels? My fear is that the mere development of renewable energy sources with no attention given to conservation will simply lead to a more ramped consumerism, not addressing the core disposition of heart that has created our problem in the first place.

From the standpoint of Curate, this is where we move from the functional and moral to the spiritual. Something that needs to be added to our reflection on the relationship between consumption and conservation is the human person's call to be Curator, or steward of creation. When I think of a curator, they live a life of painstaking attention to masterpieces that have been created so that the integrity of the creator's work is protected and generations to come will have access to the master's original masterpiece. Every good curator knows that if they do their job, the works of art they care for will outlive them. In a similar way, we need to have a curator's heart when it comes to care for creation. We need to realize the painstaking attention needed to protect the integrity of the Creator's work, allowing it to sustain, support, and delight generations to come. We can see a "Sacred Canvas" emerge in our world when embracing this mentality, understanding how we are both creature in and curator of our common home.

Spiritual Exercise: What is your level of consumption? How do you conserve? Do you have a curator's heart, willing to protect the Creator's Canvas? Pray with these questions and, together, let us protect this masterpiece we call our common home. Let us reverence the artistry of God.