Today Jesus took time off and dispatched the Disciples ahead of him—a journey over the lake that should not have posed any problem except that they struggled against the squalls and the surfs. Yet, these did not really bother them until the appearance of Jesus for they did not recognise Him. The usual response to the unknown was trepidation and fear.
What can we learn from this scenario.
Firstly, trials and tribulations belong to life and we should not expect anything less. Secondly, God on our side is no guarantee that there will be no tumults or turmoil in life. In actual fact, with God on our side, storms are exactly what we will face. The expectation that God should spare us from troubles begs the question of what sort of God we believe in and worship.
The youths from South Johore have just returned from their pilgrimage to the World Youth Day. They endured burning heat almost all the days they were there. However, no major untoward situation happened there in Portugal. As they say, all is well that ends well. But a pilgrimage is supposed to be a reflexion of life’s journey. Again, one can glean two senses of this mirroring. First, as a journey, a pilgrimage has an end. The goal is Jesus Christ Himself and thus the destination for life is to be in heaven with Jesus Christ. Second, it is also an imitation of life especially its messiness. This is where our experiences meet the Gospel.
The path that leads to our final destination is fraught with challenges and difficulties. The definition that heaven is a state of perfect happiness or joy can easily lull us into thinking that sacred and holy journeys should be free of trials and tribulations especially when we have the Lord on our side.
This illusion was shattered by our experience at the end on Friday. We had departed Lisbon almost in a manner which reminded us of our arrival. The passport control took a long time because there were so few officers on duty. The aircraft closed its door as our last pilgrim entered and from then until Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur, the two flights were plainly unremarkable and uninteresting. We had a 7-hour layover in KUL before continuing to Johor Bahru.
In the evening, one of ours was denied boarding. The luggage was offloaded from KLIA to Senai. Then at Senai, another pilgrim only realised that the passport was left in the seat pocket after disembarkation. Thankfully, both the problems were resolved. The one left behind was reunited with the family a day later whereas the passport was found by Malaysia Airlines a day after at exactly where the pilgrim sat inflight the evening prior.
These two incidents merely highlight that one can come home from a spiritual experience feeling on top of the world and almost invincible when in reality the end of the pilgrimage is where one’s faith is tested. God grants us moments of consolation to give us the strength to endure our desolation because life will always take unexpected turns. During such moments, we can be gripped by the immediacy of whatever we are experiencing without realising that the Lord is near. Elijah needed to step back from the wind, the earthquake and the fire, to find God in the gentle breeze. While the others were terrified of the crashing waves and blowing winds, Peter needed to hear Christ’s voice for him to get out of the boat. He faltered only because he allowed the storm to come between him and the Lord.
Peter’s experience is a perfect mirror for so many of us. Perhaps this is inevitable because we value our ability to solve problems and not be a burden to others. When in trouble we feel the need to rely on our strength like the many times the young pilgrims refused help instead of accepting it from others. Perhaps it is an unavoidable flaw that stems from our self-help and self-made psychology.
As such, the highlight of the WYD is the pilgrimage and vigil. The walk and wait teach us that every pilgrimage has an end and the vicissitudes encountered along the way prepare us to face the trials of life so that we may not lose sight of the true North Pole, that is to be with Christ in heaven. The Gospel reminds us through Peter that we will always be able to walk on water, meaning that we can overcome life’s tempests only if we focus on Jesus who is always coming to us.
While we acquire the strength to persevere, the post-multiplication of loaves and fish experience of Jesus also reveals that connexion with the Father is basis for our perseverance. We need the Father’s strength so that we can focus on Christ and in Him see and serve our brothers and sisters. The ability to connect with Father and be sensitive to Him helps us to better love Jesus in the poor we meet along the way.
