The universe, as best as we know, spans at least 91 billion light years. Black holes exert such force that not even light can escape. The gravitational pull of a black hole would be equivalent to a marble which contained the mass of the earth.

Trying to comprehend our universe is fascinating to me because we try and put unknown realities like black holes into somewhat known entities like the mass of the earth and a marble. Can any of us really imagine the distance light can travel in a year (about 6 trillion miles), let alone 91 billion times 6 trillion miles?
We generally accept the folly of fully comprehending our universe, and yet when it comes to our faith we presume that we should totally grasp it by now. The way Jesus lived his life, the fact that he willingly dies for us when he doesn’t have to, is at least as overwhelming and mind-boggling as anything a black hole has to offer.

The Holy Triduum gives us a visceral experience of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and ultimately to our life, death and resurrection. Every basic question of life, from “who am I?” to “what do I value?” is addressed in the liturgies through symbolic actions like washing feet, kissing a cross and waiting in darkness.
Yes, we know some facts about our universe; yes, we know that Jesus rises at the end. Our universe and our faith are not puzzles to be solved, but gifts and mysteries to be embraced and experienced – throughout our lives.

On behalf of the Basilian Fathers and the faculty and staff of St. Thomas, may God bless you and your family with the richness of a humble mind, a tender heart and a joyful Easter.

Catholic. Basilian. Teaching Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge since 1900.