Good feelings gone.
- Gary Fritsch
- Mar 5
- 2 min read
In Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo, there is a scene where the two main characters are in a very deep, dark part of the ocean, and they find an extremely appealing light, seemingly floating in front of them. And they are drawn to it and even begin to talk to it and say that they want to be its friend. This discovery changes their mood even though they are still lost in the deepest part of the ocean.
They will quickly realize that the tantalizing light is attached to angler fish that represents their greatest fear: a gruesome death. The comment that slip's from their fish lips is this: "good feelings gone!"
I think that they Apostles were in a similar place in today's Gospel. They had been following the light - Jesus. He so attracted them, and drew them in. They were enjoying all of the benefits of being His friends and even moreso - His disciples. He sent them out and they went proclaiming the Gospel and curing diseases everywhere. He had given THEM His power to cure and cast out demons!! As if that weren't enough, upon their return they witness the miraculous feeding of five thousand men (probably over 15,000 people total) with just a few loaves and fish. Talk about Good Feelings! Jesus was the greatest man to ever walk the earth, and not only were they there to see this coming about, but they were His closest companions. It just couldn't get any better. Even though they still had no money and were living in the same crappy circumstances, it was infinitely better.
Then, like Marlin and Dory, they discover that this light has a death attached to it, a gruesome death, and their hearts had to fall. Nooooo. No, No , No. They must have been thinking. But what they didn't realize is that they were going to be forever freed from the fear of death. Death was going to be vanquished when Jesus passed through it. And when this happened, even the wonderful illumination of their everyday life that they were experiencing now, would seem insignificant. They would do much greater things precisely because they were freed from their fear of death.
Marlin and Dory go on to tell of their great adventure with boldness and a new bravery. Marlin is freed from an ever-present fear of death and danger, and this is what happens with the apostles. So what say you? Are you ready to be freed from a fear of death? Are you ready to march forward toward the gates of heaven, knowing it will shine brighter than anything in this world? Hmm... seems like a lot to ask. Ask anyway. Ask God to free you from the fear of death. Ask Him to give you an unshakeable confidence in His promise of Heaven. He's waiting to give it to you, waiting for you to ask - then the good feeling returns, thirty, sixty, one-hundred fold.
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