Millions of people will be looking up today as a total solar eclipse crosses North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This phenomenon, which happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth, completely blocking the face of the sun, will cause the sky to darken as if it were dawn or dusk.
The temptation to turn away from some of the heartbreaking images we see day after day is understandable. But God calls us to open our eyes not only to the beauty and goodness in the world, but to the pain and suffering, as well. Only when we are aware of our neighbor’s plight can we do whatever is in our power to help alleviate it.
Today is Ash Wednesday. And in case you need reminding, today is also Valentine’s Day. It’s not often these two observances coincide. It happened just three times in the 1900’s, and the same will be true of this century. They converged in 2018 and will fall on the same day again in 2029. And that will be it until the next century.
When I was a junior in college, I lived in the basement of Fjelstad Hall, a gorgeous 1938 English Tudor-style dormitory. Even though I couldn’t see anything other than a tree stump when I looked out the small window of my room, I loved the arrangement in our corner of the basement – four dorm rooms, all opening up to a cozy living room where my friends and I would often talk late into the evening.