4
The Rainbow and The Aurora
Noah's Ark. Drawn by Rudolf Koch.
Courtesy of Arion Press.
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The rainbow's colorful bands of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet remind us of the promise of God's Providential care. Never will God destroy the earth by flood again as in the days of Noah. The rainbow serves as a reminder of our covenant, that God will always be there for us His people. Rainbows and auroras are magnificent signs of the joy and splendor of God. Rainbows stretching over the horizon are like bridges between peoples and nations, not barriers or walls. May we reconcile with God and one another. Rainbows are like God's smiles upon the earth and auroras like angels dancing in the night sky.
When things are difficult, when there is suffering in life, may we remember to look for rainbows and all signs and miracles of God's Love around us. Our Loving God provides many "signal graces" along life's journey. If only we look with eyes of faith through the prism of life, we will see many wonders. May there be more "miracles of the sun" as at Fatima to inspire the hearts and minds of humankind.
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Genesis 9:12
The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever.
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Ezekiel 1:28
... as colorful as a rainbow that appears after a storm. I realized I was seeing the brightness of the LORD's glory! So I bowed with my face to the ground, and just then I heard a voice speaking to me.
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Revelation 4:3
The one who was sitting there sparkled like precious stones of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow that looked like an emerald surrounded the throne.
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Revelation 10:1
I saw another powerful angel come down from heaven. This one was covered with a cloud, and a rainbow was over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like columns of fire ...
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My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky ...
—William Wordsworth (1770–1850). My Heart Leaps Up [1807].
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When the lamp is shattered
The light in the dust lies dead—
When the cloud is scattered
The rainbow's glory is shed.
—Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). When the Lamp is Shattered [1822], st. 1.
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It was a comfort in those succeeding days to sit up and contemplate the majestic panorama of mountains and valleys spread out below us and eat ham and hard boiled eggs while our spiritual natures reveled alternately in rainbows, thunderstorms, and peerless sunsets ...
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910). Roughing It [1871], p 139, American Publishing Company.
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The Immaculata is the Mediatrix of Graces. She is overflowing with grace, and we receive from that superabundance of grace.
—St. Maximilian Kolbe. Aim Higher!: Spiritual and Marian reflections of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Prow Books / Franciscan Marytown Press.
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O divine Spirit...renew in our own days your miracles as of a second Pentecost.
—Pope John XXIII (1881–1963). (VIS—Vatican Information Service). With permission.
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May we be alert for every divine grace that arrives sometimes as unexpectedly and as surprising as rainbows and auroras. May we cooperate with God's Will—His Plan for us at the moment, whether it be preparing a meal, washing dishes, cleaning the house, weeding a garden, or reviewing spelling words with a child. Then watch for God's smile reflected in the smiles of our loved ones and in the flowers of the garden. May that joy renew us and shine through us to our families, friends, co-workers, community, nation, and the entire world. As those rainbows and auroras touch every heart upon the earth, all will be aware of His Love.
(C) 2002 by Anthony R. Brach
