On December 11, 2021, NASA’s Parker Solar Space probe became the first spacecraft to touch the surface of the sun – specifically, the corona, while moving at 364 639 miles per hour (fast enough to fly from New York to Tokyo in under 1 minute. The spacecraft came just over 5 million miles from the surface of the sun. The corona of the sun is more than 1 million degrees, while its surface is much cooler at just over 5000 degrees.
Image by Jongsun Lee from Unsplash.com
The sun releases 3.8 x 10^26 watts of power every second, which is the equivalent of 1,820,000,000 Tsar Bombs – the most powerful nuclear bomb ever tested, exploding every second. The sun is extremely powerful, and potentially even destructive, yet it is also life giving.
Similarly, despite God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and power, He sustains our very being and offers us grace (which mean, undeserved and unmerited gifts). Just as the sun is always present, even when we can’t see it, God’s presence and sustaining grace is also constant even when we don’t feel Him in our lives or don’t acknowledge Him. Yet, he is there, constantly working to form us in His image; His love never fading.
Let us pray,
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us. Thank you for sustaining us and all of creation. Look upon us with mercy for the times we have turned away from you. We pray that the light of Your Son, Jesus, grants us peace, comfort and strength in our lives, especially in the parts where there is a lot of darkness. We make this prayer in Your Mighty Name. Amen.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
