A priest friend once shared his favorite pastime. To relieve stress, he would engage in finger painting. He would take a sheet of smooth paper, squirt various slippery colors on it, and then dip his fingers in the soothing cool paint to spread and smear it. The end product lacked structured design because it was a free-form activity, but it produced fabulously interesting swirls and twists and mixes of color.
Shortly after the priest introduced me to his hobby, I happened by JPL-Nasa. At the time, I was head of the VCAS junior astronomers, and had gone there to pick up some space photos to share with the kids. I was given an envelope full of eight by ten inch photos of planets, galaxies, nebulae and comets. The Hubble shots were stunning, but one photo in particular was a jaw dropper. It was a full color-close up of Jupiter’s storm bands, including its red spot. As I stared at it, I could almost see the fingers of God spread and mix the colors of the planet, creating the swirls and waves of a supernatural finger painting. I reserved the photo for my favorite priest, who remarked, “What a glorious finger painting. Who did this?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his lack of astronomical knowledge, and simply answered, “God.”
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| Image from JPL-Nasa |
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