Beyond the Clouds by Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. | Page 100

We leave the seat behind without any nostalgia for it, because we knew it was
only temporary. Once we have the ability to disembark, we are in such a hurry
to beat the rush and reach home, that we might even forget to say goodbye to
our neighbor we were sitting next to for 10 hours!
Generations come and go. We all occupy seats for a very short period of time, a
time which is fleeting to us, but not to our Master who remains outside of it.
Just as the four seasons of the Northern hemisphere come and go, so, too, do we
pass in such a perpetual motion; autumn, winter, spring, and summer, the
same trees appear in four different ways.
Though we started our reflection with the imagery of the very common
experience of flying, we realize more and more how human life itself is like
such a flight. As we have read, the comparisons are many.
The runway is like infancy, soon picking up speed and excitement as children
turn into youthful, young adults dreaming great things for their life. The
many hours in cruise control resembles the adult age marked by responsibility
and commitment, in a daily rhythm day in and day out. Finally, the descent
and the wheels touching town is bidding farewell to our earthly mission. We
say goodbye and head home, which- for a believer in God- is the heavenward
ascent to the Creator.
This is the reason why all of the saints were very much detached from the
world, while still being fully engaged in it. As human flesh, we are global
citizens and it would be inappropriate to denounce the temporary home in
which we life. But we do not have to fight for a window or aisle seat like some
people on the plane, because wherever we may be above the clouds, we will
still arrive at our destination.
What is most important is to spend the time during our flight well. Read,
converse, eat, sleep and pray, so as to come out refreshed and continue the
mission ahead.
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