My grandfather had a radio, and he was very fond of it. As a young boy, I noticed him exposing batteries from this transistor radio under the sun.
Once, I asked him, "Are they wet?" "No!" he replied. "But why do you put them under the sun?" I asked again. "I placed them under the sun because they are already weak. The heat of the sun will restore their power."
I don't know how scientific that is, but he believed that batteries, when exposed to the sun for some time, will regain some power to run flashlights or transistor radios for an extended time.
Choosing the twelve disciples, walking on water, healing those who touched Him, the transfiguration, and the crucifixion, what took place before these powerful events in Jesus's life? Jesus spent the whole night on the mountain to pray, which I am sure recharged him for the following events.
Sometimes, when I get so busy with my work or my studies, my prayer time is the one that suffers most. My priorities get mixed up, and I forget to do the very thing that will give me the ability, the 'charge', the power to do the impossible. Then, I remembered that Jesus always made time for prayer. The harder the task He had to do, the more time He spent in prayer. Even if He is the Son of God, He always made time to pray to draw strength and power, not from Himself, but from His Father.
In the Old Testament, whenever Yahweh reveals something big, He usually reveals it on a mountain. For example, He gave the commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai. On Mount Ararat, Noah's Ark comes to rest after the flood. This marks the end of the flood and the beginning of a new covenant between God and humanity.
God tests Abraham on Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son, Isaac, but God promises to make Abraham the father of the nations. On Mount Carmel, Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal and calls down fire from heaven, reaffirming God's sovereignty over Israel.
In the New Testament, Jesus often went to the Mount of Olives to pray after multiplying loaves or healing someone. The transfiguration happened while he was praying on Mount Tabor. Jesus would pray in the mountains before or after most of the significant events in his life, like the one in today's gospel of choosing the twelve.
Why on the mountain? Obviously, it gives you a vision if you are on the mountain. It gives you a vantage point of view. It makes you look where you came from and look forward to where you are heading. Such is the feeling when you are praying on the mountain. It makes you feel high; it makes you feel like you are an inch closer to heaven. It's like God touching humanity at the tip of his finger.
Of course, today, we do not have to go to the mountains to pray. Whenever you pray in a small corner, you are already climbing; you are already having your spiritual ascent to your mountain.
The thing is; to climb the mountain, we need to leave some things behind. We need to let go of some of our baggage to climb freely. It is a requisite every time we go to prayer. It's difficult to pray when we have so many attachments.
Let us make time for prayer, shed the weight of our attachments, and ascend our own spiritual mountains to draw strength from God. As we pause to pray, we invite God's power to recharge our souls and guide us through the challenges ahead. Spend time today praying with nature, go trekking, or climb a mountain, and praying the rosary while doing it.