Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
Have you ever had a wonderful evening with your spouse, children, or dear friends? Maybe it was more than an evening. It could have been a nearly perfect vacation or getaway. Or if you are like me, maybe you’ve had the perfectly made coffee, dinner, or glass of chocolate milk. In the midst of that experience, a thought always zips through my mind, “Why can’t it always be like this?” That question exists in our spiritual life as well.
Maybe you have had a time of deeply fulfilling prayer, a moving mission trip, or you went on a powerful retreat. During that time you experienced God’s presence, care, and concern like never before. But when you returned to normal life, it wasn’t the same. I’ve come to call that initial experience a mountaintop moment. At another time, I might have the pleasure of reflecting on how valuable those moments can be. Today’s readings remind me that we can’t always stay in that moment. We might ask “why can’t it always be like this?” The reality is it doesn’t stay like that because our life reflects the opening of today’s gospel.
The gospel begins with these words, “As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus…” Now one might think this is just any old trip down a mountain, but this passage is immediately following the transfiguration. As I’m sure it was for Peter, James, and John; it can be difficult for us to come down the mountain. We can wonder whether or not Christ really is present at Mass, or struggle to connect that serving the poor around the corner is as important as serving the poor halfway across the world. In my own past I’ve fallen into the trap of dismissing my experience as the product of emotion and not grace. But we need to come down the mountain.
First we need to come down the mountain to share the good news of the God who we encountered on the mountaintop. In this way we model Elijah, the Apostles, Moses, and even Jesus (the garden of Gethsemane was on the Mount of Olives, Jesus shared the encounter he had there by expressing God’s limitless love on the cross).
Second, we need to come down the mountain because it is the action of a disciple. I want to draw attention the second half of the opening line from the gospel, “the disciples asked Jesus.” For Peter, James, and John; they did not confuse the gift for the giver and when Jesus began going down the mountain, they followed. Thus, the disciple has to come down from the mountain, because the master does. We have to follow where Christ leads and he will always lead us back into the world to serve His people and proclaim the good news of the God who came down His mountain to become one of us.
- Spencer Hargadon