What starry nights, church ceilings and St. Elizabeth of the Trinity teach us about eternity

Occasionally when I witness a particularly breathtaking starry night, I recall the phrases from Coldplay’s song, “Yellow” — “Look at the stars — look how they shine for you” — and Tyler Brown William’s refrain “Forever Was Made For Me and You.” This summer, one of my plans entailed hiking in the desert and witnessing the majesty of the stars under the open desert sky. Although the trip ended up being postponed, I found myself out in the country, nestled in an open plain where the grandeur of the stars was often displayed.

On such nights, the stars silently proclaim the words of the psalms: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps 8:5-6). Similar to any encounter with authentic beauty, the stars invite us to ponder universal truths and reveal the truth about ourselves and of our destiny: We are designed for eternity.

In his poem, “The Stars Are Mansions Built By Nature’s Hand,” Wordsworth refers to the stars as “mansions” where “happily, there the spirits of the blest dwell, clothed in radiance.” These guiding lights, the poet continues, reflect “a habitation marvelously planned, for life to occupy in love and rest.”

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