CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION AND SAINT AGNES
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HOW A SPACE TELESCOPE HELPED MY SPIRITUAL LIFE

9/23/2020

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Several years ago, I concluded that my spiritual life felt narrow and stuck.  While I was heeding the Holy Scriptures, I did not pay sufficient attention to God’s older book, namely Creation.  One way in which I set out to resolve this problem involved the Hubble Space Telescope.
 
I acquired a thick book of breathtaking photographs of deep space.  Most days I devoted time to reflecting on one of these Hubble photos, gradually making my way through the collection.  This was a leisurely activity and a transformative one.  Repeatedly I remembered that I was gazing at an unimaginatively vast expanse of creation far more unknown to humanity than known.  These photographs also involved looking back in time, since the light from astronomically distant objects travels for a very long time to reach earth, even though nothing travels faster than light.  Repeatedly I pictured myself as moving through these immensities on a planet rotating around a particular star in one tiny section of creation.
 
The Hubble Space Telescope helped my spiritual life by reminding me, through gorgeous photos, of the splendid infinities that surround us.

Charles Hoffacker
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    The Rev. Charles Hoffacker is a retired priest of the Diocese of Washington
    who lives in Greenbelt, Maryland. He and his wife Helena Mirtova are members of Ascension and St. Agnes.

    The Rev. Mary McCue, is a vocational deacon and currently ministers at Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes.
    ​
    The Rev. Dominique Peridans is the Rector of Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes. 

    Molly Jane Layton is a seminarian intern at Ascension and St. Agnes. 

    Zach Baker Rodes is a seminarian intern at Ascension and St. Agnes.

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1215 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
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  • Welcome
    • Welcome
    • Newcomers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • How to Find Us
  • Who We Are
    • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Parish Staff
    • Vestry
  • Worship
    • Worship
    • Re-Gathering During COVID-19
    • Daily Office
    • A Compline Service
    • Sermons
  • Formation
    • Formation
    • Children's Formation
    • Adult Theology Upcoming
    • Adult Theology Archive
  • Connect
    • Pastoral Care >
      • Aging Gracefully
      • Prayer Requests
    • Stewardship >
      • Givelify Instructions
      • Planned Giving
      • Endowment Fund
    • Dare to Hope Blog
    • Contact us
  • From the Desk of the Rector
    • Pastoral Letter
    • Weekly Letter
    • Annual Meeting
  • Outreach
  • Baptism