Quick Summary:

Charles Darwin called Chili's Atacama Desert “a barrier far worse than the most turbulent ocean.” The setting for our first reading from Jeremiah is not far, spiritually speaking, from this desert wasteland, for a great drought holds the land of Judah in its grip. The drought is a wake up call that can't be ignored.

Last week I spoke of the film THE 33, which tells the true story of what happened in 2010 when a century-old mine in the Atacama collapsed, trapping 33 miners 2,000 feet below the surface. I told of the family members of the miners who rallied on behalf of their loved ones, and I spoke of one woman in particular, Maria Segovia, who in her refusal to accept their deaths as inevitable led the cry for the miners’ rescue.

Today’s readings are also about prayer. Last week in the story of The 33, we stayed on the surface with the family members of the miners. This week we go deep down into the dark recesses of the mine where The 33 are huddled in a cave-like formation carved from solid rock called REFUGIO—The Refuge.

Julian of Norwich, Carl Jung, and Richard Rohr contribute thoughts to this sermon, which ends on baptismal themes on a Sunday when 3 infants were baptized.