Beyond the Clouds by Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. | Page 20

One of the most striking experiences of a plane journey is the take off; the
wheels are up, and our transcendence through the clouds begins. Through our
traverse, we surpass several layers at different heights, whereupon it’s not
unusual to experience turbulence as we pierce through the thickest clouds.
But once the plane reaches a certain height- as we have seen- the sun is shining
amidst blue skies if it is day, or we are greeted by twinkling stars if it is night.
We are in a different universe all together, a universe where we are reminded
of God’s incomprehensible being; a being which- Pallotti says- has created
things out of love and mercy for our benefit.
“He has given us light, so that we may aspire thereby to understand and
contemplate forever that Inaccessible Light, which is God.
He has given us the darkness of the night, which aids our sleep after a day’s
work, so that we may prepare for the eternal rest in Heaven.”
On the contrary, when the plane prepares for landing, we go through the
opposite experience. From vibrant blue, the plane’s nose presses through the
dark clouds, and suddenly the wheels strike the hard surface of the earth.
Whether we meet a bright day, or a rainy, cool day, it is all the same: we are
back to the concrete reality of earth.
Such an experience during our ascension through the clouds- opening up to the
bluest of skies, or the darkest of nights- has often reminded me of the human
experience of transcendence. It might even be called the mystical journey in
the depths of God’s mysteries.
Mystics- like St. John of the Cross and St. Theresa of Avila- describe the soul’s
mystical movement as a progressive journey from the external world of human
imperfections, to the interior castle of the abiding presence of the Supreme
Being.
When reaching the height of purification, we might experience all sorts of
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