The red star

The stars, be they the celestial or the marine varieties, shine brightly or stand out against the background where they are located. This example of the Echinaster seposisus species, which was photographed in Blanes (Costa Brava), presents a striking red colour which, under certain conditions, can turn orange. When you photograph it using a flash you can easily see the red tones which characterise it.

However, if the photograph is taken under natural lighting conditions, the tones become dark brown in the sea depths, just as our blood seems to take on a dark brown colour at a depth of ten metres.

The Bible frequently uses this image of light to refer to human spirituality. The psalmist, for example, says that God “turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28); he asks God to “give light to his eyes”, so as not to let him fall into the sleep of death (Psalm 13:3) and he insists that it is God who enlightens us (Psalm 118:27)

Luke the evangelist, for his part, states that “the Son of Man will be like the lightning which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other." (Luke 17:24). This is the Christian hope of the Parousia and, in the meantime, we Christians who harbour this hope must continue shining wherever God has placed us.