Me:
Today's gospel, There shall be signs in the sky." Can we relate that to the recent display of northern lights?
Grok: (Elon Musk’s Artificial Intelligence, aka AI)
Yes, the Gospel reading for today—November 16, 2025, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time—draws directly from Luke 21:5-19, where Jesus describes apocalyptic signs preceding the end times, including "great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven." This passage echoes broader biblical themes of celestial wonders as divine signals, such as in Joel 2:30-31 ("I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood") or Acts 2:19-20, which some interpret as omens calling for repentance and vigilance.
Your reference to "signs in the sky" aligns strikingly with the vivid aurora borealis displays that lit up skies across the U.S. and beyond just days ago, from November 11-13. Triggered by a powerful G4-level geomagnetic storm—one of the strongest in decades—caused by coronal mass ejections from the sun, the northern lights were visible unusually far south, reaching states like Florida, Texas, Colorado, and even parts of Mexico. Witnesses captured ethereal waves of green, pink, purple, and red dancing overhead, turning rural fields in Wisconsin and Indiana into otherworldly spectacles, while urban spots like Denver and Santa Fe marveled at the glow. NOAA satellites even documented the auroras from orbit, highlighting their global scale.
Can we relate this to today's Gospel? Absolutely, in a poetic and reflective sense, though interpretations vary. Biblically, natural phenomena like auroras have long been viewed through a lens of divine artistry and messaging—evoking God's majesty (as in Job 37:22: "Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty") or as harbingers of deeper spiritual truths. Some scholars and believers draw parallels to Ezekiel 1:4's "immense cloud with flashing lightning... surrounded by brilliant light" from the north, suggesting ancient auroral inspirations. In modern contexts, recent auroral surges (like those in May 2024 and now November 2025) are often framed as "signs in the heavens" amid prophecies of cosmic unrest, reminding us of Luke's call to "stand firm" amid trials. They symbolize not just peril, but hope: illumination in darkness, divine guidance (Psalm 119:105), and reassurance that, as Malachi 4:2a (today's first reading) promises, "the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays."
Scientifically, of course, it's solar wind colliding with Earth's atmosphere—beautiful physics, not prophecy. But the Gospel invites us to see God's hand in creation's wonders, whether as a gentle nudge toward faith or a reminder of our place in the cosmos. If this display stirred awe in you, it might be exactly the "sign" to pause, pray, and ponder the bigger picture. What did it evoke for you personally?
