Cardinal Pizzaballa by Catholic Church England and Wales / Flickr (Left), Adobe Stock (Right)
Every place that Christ’s disciples go to proclaim the Gospel “will be Jerusalem,” as they are called to give their lives as Jesus did, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said in a meditation for the May 29 Solemnity of the Ascension.
In the gospel, Jerusalem is a physical destination Jesus travels to, but it is also primarily “a spiritual and theological destination,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said. “Jerusalem is the place where one ascends to worship God; and Jesus, once He has ascended to Jerusalem, will offer true worship to the Father, His own life, which He offers as a gift of love for the salvation of all people.”
Jesus’ sacrifice takes place on the cross in Jerusalem, but the gospel passage for the Solemnity of the Ascension shows that Jerusalem is not the “final destination for Jesus, but rather the gateway that allows Him to go further,” he said, “to return to the Father, to ascend to heaven: His journey therefore does not end in Jerusalem, because the true destination of Jesus’ journey is the Father. From Him He comes and to Him He returns.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa noted that the gospel reading for the solemnity mentions Jerusalem three times, and each reference “is linked to a movement of the disciples.” Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem now continues through His disciples, who return to this city, remain there, and then set out from it again to share the Holy Spirit and the good news of Easter with all people.
“So Jesus’ journey is not over. It continues to the Father, but not even then can it be said to be finished,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said. “It will only end when every person is on the way to the Father, where He is waiting for us.”
This can only occur once the disciples go forth and preach about the good news, forgiveness of sins, and conversion, the cardinal said.
“For the disciples, every place will be Jerusalem, will be the place where, like their Master, they will be called to lay down their lives,” he added. “And like their Master, they will experience that Jerusalem will also be a door for them, the open door through which they can return to the Father.”