Light and Life within the Earth

by Gerald M. Costello
Theologically speaking, they say, it wasn’t a miracle.  Ah...really?  Just don’t tell that to the 33 trapped miners in Chile.  Don’t tell it to their families and friends, and don’t tell it to the millions upon millions of people around the world who were stunned to find out the miners were all alive and well.  For most of us, their survival was miracle enough.  The next one will come when they’re freed from their underground prison, able to see loved ones again and to walk once more in the light.  It might not have been a theological miracle, but it’ll do until one comes along.
You know the basic story.  When a section of the mine caved in on Aug. 5, it trapped the 33 men, and hope faded quickly for their safety.  After 10 days, it all but vanished.  And then, 17 full days after the cave-in, the miracle – or, if you will, the unbelievable – took place.  All 33 had not only survived; they were in relatively good shape, and, a half-mile below the surface of the earth, were able to communicate with the outside world through a four-inch tube formed by a drill.  The same tube brings them news, notes from their families, food and water.
Now comes the hard part.  There’s the wait, for one thing; engineers reported that it might take three or four months before the miners can be safely extracted from their trap.  Beyond that is the work they’ll be forced to do.  In order for their rescue shaft to be drilled successfully, they’ll have to move all the debris caused by the bore – a 24-hour-a-day task that will call on the strength and endurance of six working crews.
What they have done so far to make all this happen, and to ensure their wellbeing while it does, is another miracle in the making.  The miniature society that they have formed has begun to find its structure, and in marked contrast to so much of today’s culture – which flouts established standards and abandons traditions that have nourished humankind since time began – it depends on discipline, a clear idea of right and wrong, and old-fashioned spiritual values.
An in-depth report by Alexei Barrionuevo in The New York Times explains how all this happened.  The leader is Luis Urzua, 54, who organizes work assignments, helps to map the path of the rescue hole, and, in the words of the Times, “even insists that the miners wait until everyone gets food through the narrow borehole to the surface before anyone can eat.”  Yonny Barrios, who took a six-month nursing course 15 years ago, administers medicinal shots and conducts tests for wellness.
And then there is Mario Gomiz.  At 62 the oldest of the group and the survivor of a previous confinement – as a stowaway in the hold of a ship – he has become its spiritual guide.  He has organized a small underground chapel and helps psychologists on the surface deal with individual problems below.  As a man who once found consolation in the words of the Bible, he encourages the others to pray along with him.
“They are completely organized,” says Chile’s health minister.  “It is a matter of life and death for them.”
God willing, they will all be safe, and all will walk in the light again.  It sounds as if that process has already begun, a half-mile below the surface of the earth.
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