Jerusalem

13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

June 30, 2013

Luke 9:51-62

“When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem (Luk 9:51).”

Every journey has an end. In fact it starts with an end. We will not visit Paris, unless we get a vacation plan there. I would not have been in Manila, if I had not aimed for priesthood. The end is so critical that even Aristotle created his philosophy based on this ‘end’. Thus, the very first question is ‘what your end in life is’. The answer is so fundamental that it sets the course of our actions through life.

Is it wealth? Is it sexual pleasure? Is it power? If wealth is our highest goal, then corruption is justified. If sexual pleasure is our last motive, then free sex and prostitution are the norms. If power is the final end, then violence and intimidation are rules of the game.

Recently Agence Frence-Presse (AFP) released depressing news for me, an Indonesian: ‘School exam cheating rampant in graft-ridden Indonesia.’ The agency does not only announce its finding on rampant cheating in Indonesia but it also links corruption with this bad habit. Simply put, we, Indonesians, learn corruption in school! The news might be true or not, but the reality points to the same question: what our end is. For students who aim high grade without hardworking, then cheating is a favorable means. Yet, for students who understand the purpose of education, cheating is a no-no.

Let us go back to today’s Gospel. Jesus determined to go to Jerusalem where He would fulfill His mission. Yet, to be in Jerusalem means he has to suffer false accusation, endure horrible suffering and die as a criminal. The disciples were also disbanded. Peter denied Him, Judas betrayed Him, and the rest run away. It was place of total failure. Yet, despite of all, Jesus never wavered and remained determined. Why? Because He knew where he was going. He was certain with His destination that he was willing to sacrifice His own life. This is the same Jerusalem is where Jesus resurrected. It was the city where the disciples gathered anew and received the Holy Spirit in Pentecost. The Church was born there. Jerusalem is indeed a place of glorious end.

What and where is our Jerusalem? Are we even aware of our Jerusalem? Are we ready to change course if we are moving to the wrong direction? Are we willing to make sacrifice to reach our Jerusalem?  Are we going to lay down our lives for our Jerusalem?

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP