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dare to hope

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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    authors

    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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  • Welcome
    • Newcomers >
      • Letter to Inquirers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • How to Find Us
    • Childcare
  • Who We Are
    • Our Beliefs >
      • Statements of Mission, Vision, Beliefs & Value
      • What is an Anglo-Catholic?
      • Apolitical or Supra Political?
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership >
      • Parish Staff
      • Vestry
  • Worship
    • About our Worship >
      • Attending Mass
      • Music
    • Upcoming Celebrants and Preachers
  • Formation
    • About Formation
    • Adult Formation >
      • Adult Theology Upcoming
      • Adult Theology Archive >
        • Knowing Christ
    • Sermons
  • Connect
    • Contact us
    • Rector's Weekly Letter
    • Pastoral Care >
      • Pastoral Offices >
        • Reconciliation (Confession)
      • Prayer Requests
    • Stewardship >
      • Stewardship Letter
      • Givelify Instructions
      • Planned Giving
      • Endowment Fund
  • Calendar
  • Baptism
  • Outreach
  • Feasibility Study