Holy Grounds

 Jerusalem was of course a private pride which was denied to foreigners, 'sinners,' women and children. Jesus was not going to place himself in the holy of holies. Jesus moves towards Jerusalem where the most shameful and cursed death was awaiting him. Neither the Samaritans, nor even his own disciples were prepared to understand the self emptying Jesus was undergoing in order to bring life and heal many hostilities that threaten our lives. Even the disciples have only the language of fire and destruction.

Job cursed the day of his birth. Once Job had everything and now he is left with nothing; nobody is near to stand with him. His questions are directed to God, only God he finds to talk to. Job finds God worthy of praise even when all his skin will have rotten. When ones own existence becomes one's greatest threat, it is a fall into a big churn of chaos. Will something come inside there to weave threads that bring order?

Holy places and gods there, have been causes of conflict and reason for separating the other. Holy grounds where we really touch the sacred is our own frailty. To cross the threshold to the inside is the difficult thing. Because it involves surrendering of self in grace. Then, though an abandoned grain, we may share life and have abundance of life.

Disciples had three years, we had around two thousand years. We seem to be stagnant in an adolescent enthusiasm of lightning, fire, and destruction. It is time to grow into maturity of life, discovering the sacred within, embracing, accepting differences, building a bond of mutual communion.