The Golden Anniversary of the Moon Landing; Part of God's Plan for Humanity

Saturday, July 20, 2019, 50 years since two men landed on the surface of our closest neighbor in space.  “One step for man, one giant leap for mankind” words that rang so loud and clear by Astronaut Neil Armstrong.  If you are from my age-group, the excitement may still be in your memory as we watched with great excitement as Neil Armstrong stepped off the lunar module onto the foreign heavenly body of the Moon and eyes around the world were given a view of the beginning or outer space travel.  

October 4, 1957, the world was astonished when the Russians launched the first un-manned vehicle into outer space as Sputnik 1 went into orbit.  May 25, 1961, President John Kennedy proposed to the world the United States would land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade.  Two months short of eight years later Apollo 11 landed on the surface of the Moon in what is called the Sea of Tranquility.  History was changed as mankind in a manner of achieving God’s Plan for humanity took a new step.  

Some may ask what spiritual purpose this has to do with God’s Plan to share His Life and Love with man?  See Col. 1:26, what St. Paul calls the mystery hidden for ages and generations.  We must be careful to not place God in a box; a term so often spoken when many want to become complacent with things as they are.  Yet, look at some of the many improvements in human history that began as thoughts have become living inventions of progress.  And let’s remember that God is just as concerned in our everyday sojourn as in our spiritual journey as well.

Do you remember when growing up with Dick Tracey in the comics and his wrist watch radio?  Have you seen the Apple computer as a wrist watch?  How about the Jetsons flying around in space automobiles?  Have you seen the latest proposals of self-flying vehicles which will alleviate road congestion?  One became a reality and the other almost a certainty.

How many years ago when some people were scrutinized because of saying the world was round and not flat?  A heresy that was pronounced against Galileo when Copernicus’s theory was promoted that the earth was not the center of the universe.  Even today there are some who are objectively determined that we are the only inhabitants in the Universe.  This has not been proven or disproven, yet.  However, look at some of the newsworthy comments from many, many people who proclaim sightings of UFO’s.  Almost too many to recount here.  Are all of these people with their heads in the clouds just dreamers with hallucinations?  

Can anyone say that God only created living beings to inhabit the Planet Earth and nothing else in the vastness of space that encompasses hundreds of billions of star systems with hundreds of billions of planets orbiting these stars?  

This does not in any way discount our total belief in God coming through the Incarnation of His Son Jesus, to become one of us and with us to bring His Father’s Mercy and Forgiveness through the Paschal Mystery so we may all share the Father’s Life and Love with Him.  This is Truth and is our privilege to be created and loved by our Eternal God.  

Let us remember not to place our God into a box believing that our little planet, in the array of a massive universe, is the only entity He has created, and the rest is just to view all its massive beauty as a print on the wall.  We do not know what lies out there, but some day, perhaps we shall.

In a few days, most will experience news coverage of July 20, 1969.  Some will yawn at the historical venture that changed the future of outer space and our quest to know.  Others will marvel, at least for a day, at what has happened in our world with a view to the unknown.  Most will seek God and try to understand how Omnipotent His Presence is in the world He created for all of us to remain faithful and trust in His Countenance towards us.  

Ralph B. Hathaway, July 2019