Dear Saints,

This past Friday was the Summer Solstice. It was the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere - that is, the point in the Earth’s orbit where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt. To be even more precise, the solstice occurred at 10:43pm.

Astronomy buffs might remember that last year the same event occurred on June 20th at 4:50pm, marking the earliest solstice since 1796, when George Washington was president and there were only 16 states in the Union.

There’s something overwhelming about the constantly changing rhythms of time and space. And yet as intimidating as the vast complexity of our universe may seem, there’s also something comforting about it. For we do not live in the midst of mere tumult. There is much we do not understand, but we can be confident that the realm beyond current knowledge is not at the mercy of chaos.

The Earth will not spin out of control. It cannot. It is governed by the ordering force of God himself. In other words, every atom is subject to the love made manifest by Jesus’s death and resurrection. Because of his sacrifice, nothing can stand between God and his beloved creation. Whether it’s the longest day or the shortest, a time of sunshine or storms, a moment of peace or war, the cross stays steady. And that means we can too.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ