(The Lion) — A poignant, faith-centered moment Monday aboard the historic Artemis II mission evoked a defining moment from Apollo 8 decades ago while pointing viewers to a reality beyond the physical world.

The moment aboard the Orion capsule came as Victor Glover and his fellow astronauts prepared to make their closest approach to the moon and moments before they briefly lost communications as they passed behind it.

It also unfolded as millions watched not only in the United States but around the world – with more than 25 million tuning in on NASA’s YouTube channel alone. It marked the first time since 1972 that astronauts from any nation had traveled to the moon.

For 40 minutes, the astronauts disappeared from communication with Earth. But Glover, a Christian, used the high-profile moment to remind viewers of the words of Christ.

Glover, the pilot, began his remarks by thanking the thousands of men and women behind the effort and reflecting on the agency’s mission “to explore the unknown in air and space, to innovate for the benefit of humanity and to inspire the world through discovery.”

He then turned to faith.

“As we get close to the nearest point to the moon and the farthest point from Earth – as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos – I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that’s love,” Glover said, moments before NASA lost communication. “Christ said, in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all that you are – and He also, being a great teacher – said the second is equal to it, and that is to love your neighbor as yourself.

“And so as we prepare to go out of radio communication,” Glover said, his words beginning to fade in and out, that he feels the “love from Earth” and “to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth – we love you from the moon.”

NASA mission control replied simply, “Houston copies. We’ll see you on the other side.”

Nearly six decades ago, a similar moment unfolded when Apollo 8 made history as the first crewed mission to leave Earth’s orbit and travel to the moon. On Christmas Eve 1968, astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders took turns reading from Genesis 1 as an estimated 1 billion people worldwide gazed at black-and-white television images of the lunar surface.

“For all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you,” Anders said before beginning the reading: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth.”

It was a memorable moment that brought a message of faith and hope to a world in the 1960s marked by turmoil.

Glover’s remarks weren’t the only time he pointed viewers to faith during the mission. The day before Easter, he was asked to reflect on the meaning of the holiday while traveling through space.

“When I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us – who were created – you have this amazing place, this spaceship. You guys are talking to us because we’re in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos,” Glover said.

Glover said the perspective of Earth from space underscores the uniqueness of the planet – and the need for humans to come together.

“I think maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special, but we’re the same distance from you – and I’m trying to tell you, just, trust me, you are special,” Glover added. “In all of this emptiness, this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe – you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together. I think as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we got to get through this together.”

Ironically, Artemis II’s mission profile – looping around the moon without landing – is similar to that of Apollo 8, which served as a critical stepping stone to the more-famous moon landing of Apollo 11. Artemis II is also laying the groundwork for a future lunar landing mission.