Siser Elise Cholewinski
JERUSALEM MY DESTINY
City of hosannas. City of the cross. He had fixed His eyes on its hills. Jerusalem, the holy city, the heart of His religion, with the Temple at its center, where God was perceived to dwell among the people more intimately than anywhere on earth. Jesus was approaching the city. He could not turn away. Jerusalem was His destiny.
The time that Jesus spent in the holy city was truly a time of being both victor and victim. He would receive a hero’s welcome and at the same time know that in the crowd were people planning how they would kill Him. He would experience deep friendship with His apostles at that sacred meal, only to have them abandon Him a few hours later. From the Cross He would look down upon the small group who stood there in faithfulness and those who would mock and ridicule Him. City of hosannas. City of the cross. He did not turn away.
“Jerusalem” can be any place or situation where we find the forces of death clashing with the energy of emerging life. It takes courage and a commitment to trust that truth will prevail and life will ultimately break forth. Are our eyes fixed on that holy place? Do we dare turn away?
As we enter into the celebration of Holy Week, maybe we can take time to consider how the Paschal Mystery has been unfolding in our lives. Where do we hear the hosannas being sung? Where does the cross loom up before us? Do we have the courage, the commitment, and the confidence to continue the journey?
Is Jerusalem our destiny?