As a child, I grew up in a house without air-conditioning. It was a small, three-bedroom ranch and not a lot of windows for airflow. Air-conditioning made my mom sick, so there was no chance we would have one in the house. But one year my dad finally convinced her to let him put a window unit in the garage, which, in the warm weather, became our summer room.
My dad built a large screen which sat behind the garage door, so when the door went up the screen provided a view to the neighborhood and the best airflow in the house. But there were days when even that wasn’t enough. So, when my mom said “Yes” to the window unit, my dad and I could barely contain our excitement.
The good, cool times lasted about a month before my mom came down with a cold which she blamed on the air-conditioner. So, we went back to wet towels around our necks and cold drinks on the shaded patio. We realized what we had already learned over the years, that comfort is relative, and many times our feelings of being physically uncomfortable are more minor inconveniences than serious problems.
I would learn more about being spiritually uncomfortable as I studied my Catholic faith. Scripture made it clear that Jesus was a master at making people feel uncomfortable—especially those who needed a new perspective, a fuller understanding of God, or a radical change of heart.
In fact, someone borrowed a phrase coined by American author and journalist, Finley Peter Dunne to describe Jesus as one who came to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
Jesus encouraged the afflicted to know and believe that their uncomfortableness would be blessed; we hear his words from the Sermon on the Mount when he shares the Beatitudes:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:3-10
Today, when I begin to feel comfortable with my faith, foolishly believing I have it down pat and I’m doing all the right things, God inevitably shows up with the thorn in my spiritual side and nudges me to look at things with the eyes of Christ so my hands and my feet and my heart can start moving in a more productive direction. Faith, after all, is a verb.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.