The actual size of Hawaii in comparison to the continental United States.
Most people picture Hawaii as a small group of islands in the middle of the Pacific, but its true geographic span is far greater than that familiar image suggests.
From the Big Island in the southeast to Kure Atoll in the northwest, the Hawaiian archipelago stretches about 1,500 miles. If overlaid on the continental United States, it would reach from Southern California all the way toward the central Great Plains.
This length comes from more than just the eight main islands. Hawaii also includes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands—a long chain of small islands, reefs, shoals, and atolls that extend deep into the Pacific Ocean. Many of these locations are remote, uninhabited, and ecologically significant. Midway Atoll, for instance, lies closer to Asia than to mainland America and played an important strategic role during World War II.
Because maps typically compress Hawaii into a small inset beside Alaska, its true scale is often underestimated.
Hawaii is the only U.S. state composed entirely of islands and remains one of the most isolated population centers on Earth, with California—the nearest state—located roughly 2,400 miles away.
May we allow ourselves to experience amazement at the joyful proclamation of Easter, at the light that illumines the darkness and the gloom in which, all too often, our world finds itself enveloped.
God chose to enter into our human history the most difficult way possible: the cross. This way, no one could ever be so desperate and not to be able to find Him, even in the midst of anguish and abandonment. God arrived in the very place we didn't think He could be.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). These are the words that bring us to the very heart of Christ’s passion, the culmination of the sufferings He bore to save us. #PalmSunday
On the cross, Christ put Himself in solidarity with us so that each of us can say: In my failures, in my desolation, when I feel betrayed and abandoned, You are there, Jesus. When I feel I can’t take it anymore, you are with me. In all my unanswered “why's”, you are with me.
Fasting helps us to keep our spirit in shape. It makes us appreciate things for their true worth; it reminds us that life must not be made dependent upon the fleeting landscape of the present world. #Lent
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY to women the world over, who display their mettle in every capacity, role and circumstance ... Stay EMPOWERED! Celebrating MARY OUR MOTHER, the strongest woman EVER!
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These past days, my thought has been often gone to the victims of the train accident that happened in Greece. Many were young students. I am praying for the deceased. I am near the wounded and their relatives. May Our Lady comfort them.
Our whole life of faith is a shared experience, for we follow Jesus together. Our Lenten journey is “synodal”, since we travel together along the same path, as disciples of the one Master. #Lent
God loves us first, freely, taking the first step towards us without us deserving it; and so we cannot celebrate his love without in our turn taking the first step towards reconciliation with those who have hurt us. #GospelOfToday
Now is the time for compassion and for solidarity. We must put aside hatred, wars, and divisions that lead to self-destruction. Let us unite in our sorrow to help those who suffer in #Turkey and #Syria. May we build peace and fraternity in our world.
Let’s #PrayTogether for the peoples of Türkiye and Syria hard hit by the earthquakes that have caused thousands of deaths and injuries. I thank those who are working to provide relief, and I encourage everyone to offer their solidarity.