Stuck in the Dark

Yesterday, 12 October 2010, a rescue crew began pulling up 33 copper/gold miners who have spent 69 days trapped in a chamber three miles in from the mine entrance and 2300 feet under the Earth's surface.  The rescuers are using a cylinder-shaped metallic cage equipped with guide wheels and raised and lowered down a shoulder-wide shaft using a metal cable.  Sort of like a very cramped personal elevator.

The entire procedure is very dangerous.  Any errors could cause the death of the miner being pulled up and trap the remaining men, perhaps permanently.  The entire world is watching, the President of Chile is in the crowd at the mine, and each successful extraction elicits yells, cheers, celebrations, arms raised in the victory salute, and, in a few cases, prayers.  The most obvious of the prayers came from Mario Gomez, the spiritual leader of the miners.

As I write this, 19 of the 33 miners have been successfully extracted from the hole.

This incident reminds me of the Christian concept of salvation in which sinners mired in the darkness and confusion of this world are lifted into the Church, the Kingdom of God on Earth, and the angels rejoice as each one is saved.

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." Luke 15:10