Beginning in Jerusalem: The church is born

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Fr. Randy J. Timmerman, D. Min

"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

At St. Paul University Catholic Center we tried to journey during the recent Lenten season with the line from Luke's Gospel, "he firmly resolved to proceed toward Jerusalem. (Lk 9:51).

Seventh Sunday of Easter (May 23, 2004) Acts 7:55-60 Ps 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 Rv 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 Jn 17:20-26

Today, on the feast of the Ascension, the image of Jerusalem is before us again: it is the place where the church is to be born.

I find it interesting that Jesus instructs the disciples to continue his mission beginning in Jerusalem. Why not begin right where they were? Why go back to the city? Why not let bygones be bygones and just move on ahead?

Perhaps it is because Jerusalem is much more than a physical location within the spiritual life of believers. We are invited to enter into the mystery of our spiritual journey to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the place where we ask: "Can I stay faithful to the task?" It is the spot upon which Jesus fixed his eyes and resolved to stay obedient to the will of his Father.

Jerusalem is the site of the garden where he knelt and prayed, "not my will but thy will be done." Jerusalem would be the place of his ultimate prayer, "Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do."

And after the resurrection Jerusalem would come to be known as the place where the apostles were instructed, "penance for the forgiveness of sins is to be preached to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem."

Thus, Jerusalem is much more than a physical place. It is the place where regularly our lives are in tension with the will of our Father and our own personal wills.

	Reflection questions • Where in my life is there spiritual "death and violence"? How can I begin at that Jerusalem-like place to bring forgiveness and love into my life and the world? • Can I surrender to God? Can I say, as Jesus did, "not my will, but thine"?

Like Jesus, we are to journey with a firm resolution of mind and heart to proceed to the place of surrender. Like Jesus we come to realize that by the act of surrender we move into the place of participation in the life of God. As believers our Lord instructs us that Jerusalem would be starting point of his mission for his disciples.

The life of Jesus was about the work of forgiveness and love. It only makes sense that his followers would continue his work in the very same place that brought about such death and violence.

It must begin there in our lives as well as we anticipate the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

Fr. Randy J. Timmerman is pastor of St. Paul University Catholic Center, Madison.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell The last words of the Mass are, "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." For each person, this is a choice. Together the preaching, parables and miracles of Jesus sketch the shape of a new way of living. A question to ask about bringing the Gospel to our own, everyday world is, Do my choices favor life, the least and the lost? Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   "If believers do not bring the Gospel into their own situations, nobody else can," Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick, Ireland, said in a 2003 speech. What is needed to evangelize the world, he said, is to bring into action "all the variety of gifts that the Spirit gives to the church." Sometimes Christians who are extremely well informed about areas such as medicine, environmental issues or the tax system will "ask why priests and bishops do not speak about the issues that arise in these areas, without any apparent awareness that they might very usefully say something themselves," Bishop Murray commented. He added that the Gospel "will seem to be increasingly out of place" in the changed world we inhabit "unless Christians who have the relevant expertise and experience bring their faith to bear" on all of life's new spheres. "Of course, everyone has experience and expertise that are relevant because everyone has a unique individual perspective, story and network of relationships," the bishop said. All church members must "bring their gifts to bear on the profound human questions that arise from living in our kind of world," said Bishop Murray. full story   Is There a "Blueprint" for Keeping Faith and Life Connected? By H. Richard McCord Jr. Catholic News Service For the last few months our family has dealt with a family crisis involving our son and a serious auto accident. Many people have reached out to us. All have offered something helpful. But some assistance has made more of a difference. Why? All other things being equal, we have been helped more by people who drew from the wellspring of their faith to establish a helping relationship with us that also strengthened our faith. They made a connection between faith and life. full story  How a Marriage "Preaches" the Gospel By Andrew and Terri Lyke Catholic News Service The love that others see in the day-to-day life of married couples actually "preaches" the Gospel. Just consider what marital love is. It is based on a promise made about an unknown future. It starts with faith in a goodness that will endure "'til death do us part." So it reflects God's own committed love. St. Francis of Assisi said: "Preach the Gospel, always. And when necessary, use words." Perhaps his statement helps to clarify what is meant when we speak of baptized people "preaching" the Gospel to the world. We want to talk about how this happens in marriage. full story  Going in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord By Joanne Sanders Catholic News Service When we greet friends and acquaintances, the conversation very often begins like this: "Hi! How are you?" full story
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