In Samantha’ Harvey’s novel, Orbital, there is a protocol for those on a spaceship when an astronaut has a medical problem or emergency. If the astronaut must be evacuated from space, taken home to be treated, the astronaut does not go alone. Two other astronauts go to accompany the one needing medical attention. The colleagues are needed to assist with the trip back to Earth and the landing. The two compatriots are needed to potentially save the life of the astronaut who is physically compromised.
In the course of Harvey’s novel, Anton, a Russian cosmonaut, has discovered a lump on his neck. He is keeping it hidden beneath the collar of his shirt. He does not want anyone to know about it: “Absently Anton runs his fingers over a lump that’s appeared on his neck the last fortnight and that he tries to obscure by raising the collar of his polo shirt. The last thing you need is to get sick in space. They’ll worry and send you home and, because you can’t fly back on your own, two others will have to go with you, and to cut short the missions of those two others would be unforgivable. He’ll say nothing to the flight surgeon or to his fellow crew and he’ll hope nobody notices. It’s the size of a cherry in the low hollow of his neck, and perfectly painless.” [pp. 139-140]
It seems noble of Anton to be concerned about others. To not want to cut short the mission of any of the other astronauts who are on the spaceship. The six astronauts seem so in love with space and have worked for their whole careers for this opportunity. Of course Anton would not want to take that away from any of them. He is thinking about others, not just himself. Not just his health. You get the feeling Anton would rather die than take away one minute in space for any of his colleagues. He seems so other-centered.
Much as Anton loves space and would not want to deprive any one of his comrades of a moment of their mission, I found my self wondering, What if one of the other astronauts on the spaceship was sick and needed to return to Earth to receive healthcare? I think Anton would be the first to volunteer to help them get back to Earth. I think he would immediately agree to fly back with the sick colleague.
And then he would say, “Zabudem, ladno?” Let’s forget it, shall we?
Prayer: Jesus teaches us to find life in giving our lives away. As this Lenten season is drawing to a close, we remember how Jesus gave his life away for others. May we seek to do the same. Amen.
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Devotion prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.
The devotions this Lenten season will be based on the novel Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Orbital won the Booker Prize in 2024. It is a beautifully written story about the experience of a group of people orbiting the Earth in a spaceship. They see 16 sunrises and sunsets in a 24 hour period. The book is a reflection on the experience of living together and appreciating planet Earth in a new way.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 