Let Us Climb The Mountain Of The Lord
2022년 5월 22일Let Us Climb The Mountain Of The Lord
< Sixth Sunday of Easter >
Mountain climbing is popular in South Korea, and when I lived there I climbed several mountains. One of the most memorable was when I climbed Chirisan in 1981 with two other Maryknoll priests. I remember rising early and starting to climb before 9:00 a.m. Because we stayed overnight at the local Buddhist temple, we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian breakfast. The only downside was that they don’t serve coffee in Buddhist monasteries, so the three of us had to begin our climb without our usual caffeine fix. It took us almost three hours to get to the top. Every step seemed difficult because all I could think of was the morning coffee I didn’t have. Then all of a sudden, halfway up the mountain, a 할머니 (grandmother) —with a case of Coca Cola on her head—came up behind us, calling out “비켜라! 비켜!” (Get out of the way!) She was clearly twice our age. Yet we were huffing and puffing and she blew right past us and disappeared on the path ahead. We had to stop and wonder: where did she come from? And where was she going with that case of soda? An hour later we found out. There at the very top of Chirisan was a wonderful coffee shop, with coffees from around the world. High atop South Korea’s tallest mountain, I felt I really had died and gone to heaven.
Thinking back on that day made me appreciate how mountain climbing is a lot like life, especially our life of faith. Sometimes the path goes straight up. At other times in order to go higher we must follow the path even when it turns down once in a while. And here’s the mysterious thing: from afar you can see Chirisan, but once you’re actually climbing it, you can no longer see it. Especially at the top, with its wonderful panoramic view, the one thing you cannot see is the mountain you’re on! When we first become aware of God, from a distance God’s presence seems clear. Once we start drawing closer to God, God seems to disappear. That’s because we are are walking God’s path. We are standing in God’s presence. Then God surprises us with a coffee shop when and where we least expect it. And sometimes God comes to us in the form of a 할머니 carrying a case of Coke on her head to encourage us to continue climbing and, of course, getting out of the way.