Gen 22:1-2,9a,10-13,15-18 Rom 8:31b-34 Mk 9:2-10
In African countries, they used to
eat tortoise, turtle, snail etc. as normal food. The way they are cooked is
astonishing to note. First, they take the big vessel and fill it with water.
Then they place the small tortoise, turtles alive inside the water and slowly
the water is then heated up. When they are placed inside the water, the
tortoise and the turtle move inside the water and when the water slowly gets
warmed up, they feel the warmth of it and feel comfortable and begin to settle
down and enjoy the atmosphere. But when the water is still more heated up and
at the boiling point, they realize the discomfort and die.
Sometimes our lives too are like
the tortoise and the turtle. In life, as we grow, we choose to remain in a
comfort zone and think that it will last forever. But the truth is otherwise.
When we feel comfortable at a particular comfort zone, it is not a message for us
to stay in that zone, but it is a caution that we should begin to quit the
zone. Life is a continuous struggle within and without. And that alone
qualifies our human status.
In today’s gospel, we note, Jesus
takes along with him Peter, John and James to Mount Tabor for a new experience.
When Peter saw the magnificient vision and the beautiful atmosphere around,
which was momentary, he said, “it is wonderful for us to be here” (Mk 9:5). He
was quite comfortable with the situation. He even thought that, that state
should continue for a longer time. Therefore, he desired to put a dwelling
there. But Jesus did not show interest in what Peter desired. Jesus did not
allow them to stay for longer. He immediately brought them down from the
mountain, because there was mission and ministry to be fulfilled.
Jesus was very clear, that his
disciples should not stay in a state of comfort rather they should face the
life realities. Lasting comforts would make humans, lethargic and dormant. Therefore,
while steping down the mountain, Jesus was even hinting about his forthcoming
suffering that he was to endure.
At this point, it would be
interesting to raise a question why Jesus strongly instructed his disciples not
to utter any word until his resurrection about the experience they had in the
mountain. The answer is simple. Jesus was aware that the three disciples did
not comprehend fully what they had seen and experienced. Their comprehension of
the event did not include the other phase of life which is embraced with
discomforts, with sufferings, with unpleasant situations. Jesus was keen that their
sharing about the experience should not make the other disciples blind about
the discomforts of life. It should not give them a picture about the glorious
aspects alone about Jesus Christ. He wanted them to comprehend that he is also
the suffering servant of Yahweh as Prophet Isaiah remarked (Cf. Isa
52:13-53:12).
Jesus instructed them not to share
about it until his resurrection, because resurrection would follow after a
period of His passion and suffering. This suffering experience of Jesus Christ
would make a deep imprint upon his disciples, then they would possess a
balanced comprehension of life which is a blend of both comforts and
discomforts.
In the garden of Gethsamane, our
Lord Jesus Christ wished to avoid the discomfort of the cross which he was
about to bear, but he was quick to regain his senses and prayed to the heavenly
Father, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will
but yours be done” (Lk 22:42). During every moment of his public ministry,
Jesus was well aware that his path of life would not be a bed of roses, rather
mingled with thorns too. He never failed to remind to himself and to the
others, that his life is filled with discomforts. Once he said: Foxes have
holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
his head (Lk 9:58). Again, thrice he spoke about the passion that he was about
to endure. Mk 8:31-32 says: Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must
undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and
the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this
quite openly. All these statements of Jesus indicate his wider understanding of
life realities and his mission.
Life has
many passing realities. But with a childish mentality we wish to make certain
realities which give comfort to be lasting and static. This is impossible. Even
the best of people who enjoy comfort soon begin to experience discomfort. The question
for us is that do we possess a disposition to take both comfort and discomfort,
joy and suffering, pleasant and unpleasant situations with equal value.
Most of the parents want their
children to be in the comfort zone. Therefore, they pamper them too much. The
result of such an approach makes the children handicapped in course of time to
face life realities. We do not want our children to suffer even a little. We
protect our children from experiencing difficulties and hurdles. Therefore, we
try our best to give immediate solutions to their needs and desires. As a
result, they lack the endurance capacity when they face with unpleasant issues
and also lack the real ability to solve any problem in their adulthood.
Today’s gospel also has another
point of thought. Jesus’ quickness to bring the disciples down the mountain without
allowing them to remain for a long time in that pleasant atmosphere has a
lesson for those who stay in a state of spiritual luxury. Being moderate in any
area of life is always appreciable, even in spiritual matters. There are people
who spend full time in churches and prayer halls just forgetting their day to
day duties. These people live in a state of spiritual luxury.
A deep spiritual experience with
God is always a glorious time, which Peter, James and John had. Nothing can
compare to a session of deep communion with God, and there is always the wish
that we could remain in His presence. But such is not our calling. Our present
call is to bear the cross and its message, and not to wallow around in deep
spiritual experiences. We are not just contemplatives alone, but also part of
an active life. Our spirits do need to be spiritually renewed, but they are
always renewed for a purpose: to strengthen us for going out and bearing a much
stronger winess for our Lord. Jesus took good amount of time to commune with
the heavenly Father, but he did not do that at the cost of his ministry to the
people. The four gospels speak at length about his active ministry and
preaching as well as makes a short and strong remark about his contemplative
and prayer life. Jesus striked the balance between both. We need to have this balance
amidst our approaching joys and sufferings, comforts and discomforts, and
thank God for both.
Let us be prompt to
move away from comfort zones once we become aware of it and unlike the tortoise
and the turtles, never lose the unraveled precious gifts that life has in store.
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