Making Connections

The law of inertia states, “A body at rest tends to stay at rest.“ What holds true for the world of physics seems to hold true when it comes to how we live our lives and the decisions that we make, especially when things are going well. Sometimes the good we have, prevents us from receiving the greater good we could have. There are times when we would rather miss out on the possibility of living a better life, if it means that we might lose the things we are enjoying now, or that we need to let go of some deeply held belief, or that the path we need to take is fraught with a level of uncertainty, real or perceived.

We find this tension between the present reality and the future possibility in the Gospel reading. Jesus reacts strongly to Peter, because Peter was thinking about how things were with Jesus at that time, he wanted things to stay as they were. He wasn’t thinking that there might be something better coming, even if it meant facing some perceived uncertain or difficult times. Similarly, in the story, Edgar the Eaglet had it good. Going over the edge of the nest was to risk life and limb, but he needed to risk losing his middle-of-the-nest life in order become an adult eagle with its freedoms, joys, responsibilities and trials. To stay in the nest, and to try and preserve that life, would have meant losing out on the wonderful experiences that life had to offer.

For Jesus to stay in the life that Peter had in mind would have meant the loss of his mission, the purpose of his life, which is why he said, “those who want to save their life will lose it”. He also knows that there is risk in growing, in experiencing a better life, but the risk is worth it. (continued ... )