A Lesson in Kenosis from the Solar Eclipse

[Michie]

The Feast of the Annunciation and the solar eclipse happened on the same day this year—April 8—and it was one of the most memorable days of my life. Part of the reason for me writing this essay is to get all my thoughts out, because I can’t stop thinking about it, and I can’t stop talking about it. Even when I haven’t planned to do so, I wind up mentioning the eclipse in homilies and referencing it in the classroom and posting about it on social media. I never imagined it would be this way, but then again, I never experienced a total eclipse before, so perhaps this is one of the consequences of experiencing one.

Here in Cleveland, we were in what is called the “path of totality,” which meant that for three minutes and fourteen seconds, the moon moved directly in front of the sun, the temperature dropped about ten degrees, the day became as night, and animals acted strangely. Because our city is on Great Lake, our days are often cloudy, and the forecast for that day was not looking good, so although I had planned a nice gathering with friends, I wasn’t convinced that it was worth all the fuss. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Continued below.

A Lesson in Kenosis from the Solar Eclipse - Word on Fire

Beneath my profound experience of the solar eclipse is a rare lesson in kenosis, a “self-emptying” or “complete or total gift of self.”

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