As he descends from the Mount of Transfiguration, he sees his disciples being mocked because they could not cure an epileptic boy. When the case is presented to him, he says in reply: “Faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me” and cures him (Mark 9:19). Here the crisis of the boy is compounded by the crisis of his father as he narrates it in the history and nature of the sickness and worse by the fact that the disciples cannot do anything to help. At the mention of his imminent death, rather than seek to enter his world, the disciples start arguing about who is the greatest among them (9:34) probably in preparation for a take-over. Sometimes a crisis arises from unmet expectations. Then the story of the rich young man who came to him to ask about what he could do to inherit eternal life also shows us how we might be in need, but our crisis would prevent us from receiving help (10:17-22). We could go through the various passages of the gospel of Mark to try to identify how they depict the crisis of faith of the disciples, but it suffices for us to stop here and look at how a crisis starts and escalates in human society. So, we ask, how do crises start in our lives?

We have seen that unmet expectations can lead us into crisis. There can also be outside causes like when people expect us to live their own lives. Apart from this, we also have carried-over matters. Faith is not an automatic endeavor. The initiative to it is God’s, its sustenance is done by God, and it leads us to God. In our time we rely on speed and efficiency and not on God, so much such that in case of any delay to achieve an aim, especially a spiritual one, we throw our faith overboard. In life we do ask questions of faith, either to deepen it or because we are no more getting it. In most cases, questions of faith are indicative of an approaching crisis and when not handled prudently can lead to a full-fledged crisis. At times a crisis of faith arises when we keep comparing trees to trees, rather than fruits to fruits. We may have various kinds of seeds before us, but each tree has its own time when it matures and produces what we have before us. Someone has said that: “The things that are not done in time will not last with time”. Another one has said that a crisis evolves as we “keep feeding the monster that will devour us”.

When we do not listen, we cannot hear and when we cannot hear we cannot follow. This was the trouble with the disciples. Even after listening and hearing and following, some still found it hard to reach the end.

In our next edition, we shall do the examination of conscience to see where we stand in our relationship with God and with one another especially as we have just begun a New Year. It is good to always be at right with God and with neighbor. 

Happy Sunday to you all!