Be my witnesses to the ends of the earth

 
Today was a packing day and a last opportunity to explore the holy city of Jerusalem after check out of the hotel at 10.30am before our flight out of Tel Aviv at 11.45pm.

We had Mass at the Austrian hospice. 

On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food.
On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples,
and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever.
The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every cheek;
he will take away his people’s shame everywhere on earth,
for the Lord has said so.
That day, it will be said: See, this is our God 
in whom we hoped for salvation;
the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us.
- Isaiah 25:6-9


The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever. 
- Psalm 23

 

I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships. In return my God will fulfil all your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can. Glory to God, our Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
- Philippians 4:12-14,19-20


Jesus began to speak to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables. 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son's wedding.  He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come.  Next he sent some more servants.  "Tell those who have been invited" he said "that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready.  Come to the wedding."  But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them.  The king was furious.  He dispatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town.  Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding."  So these servants went out onto the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, "How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?"  And the man was silent.  Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth,"  For many are called, but few are chosen.'
- Matthew 22:1-10

Today we had our last Mass together as a pilgrim group. Together we have been on pilgrimage within a bigger pilgrimage, that pilgrimage that leads to our eternal dwelling place of heaven.

In the second reading St Paul wrote about his pilgrim journey as an apostle. I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships. As a pilgrim group we have eaten together, we have prayed together, we have laughed and cried together. We have been deeply moved by what we have seen and experienced. We have felt the presence of the One who gives us strength. In this hikoi together we have changed from being just individual pilgrims to becoming whānau . 

At the beginning of the pilgrimage I suggested that at the end of our pilgrimage that our relationship with God, neighbour, self and the creation should be better or deeper.

And that is what the hikoi or pilgrimage of life is about. At the end of his earthly life Jesus stretched out his hands on the cross to embrace all humanity with a love that was universal and was a reflection and response to the Father's love for all that he had created. Jesus knew the pain of giving himself, losing himself and in doing so he shows us how precious our lives are. And he shows us that in hoping for salvation we must hope and work for that for all people, no one must be excluded. And that means emptying ourselves of anything that categorises people as being lesser, or causes division, not wanting to own or control at the expense of others. We can  never lose sight of anyone, but rather we are called, God spoke through the prophet Micah, to live justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with God.  There can only be pure love, for we are created in the image and likeness of God, God who St John says is love. Love therefore is the basic vocation of the human family... it is the basic vocation of us all as God calls the good and bad alike and removes the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever. For the Lord God will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shame everywhere on earth.

It is my hope and prayer that this pilgrimage and this blog may have been of some help to in living out this call.

After lunch at the Austrian hospice our Harvest guide Colleen and I ventured into the old city... I took her to St Mark's Syrian Orthodox church and what they believe is the "Upper Room" but is now below the church given Jerusalem's successive being destroyed and rebuilt.

The Upper Room

One of the features of the hikoi was the conversations we had as a group or in groups other moments on the pilgrimage was the Espresso Club that met every morning at 6.30am for coffee... Thanks for the great kōrero Mike and Trevor... 

And no pilgrimage would be complete without our guides, Pilgrim Mother Colleen and Pilgrim Leader Dimitrius. Thank you so much to both of you... you have been absolutely awesome...

At 5.00pm we left our hotel for the airport at Tel Aviv. In our final prayer on the bus we reflected on Jesus' Ascension

In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. It is he had said what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.

Now having met together, they asked him, Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel? He replied, It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said, Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there. 

We reflected that tonight we would ascend, not like Jesus, but with the help of Emirates. Like the disciples we too had been with Jesus. Like the disciples we too have been filled with the Holy Spirit.

Like the disciples we too are called to be witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Each Sunday we profess I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

Already the Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic because our unity is in Christ, Christ the holy one, who is truly catholic in his embracing universal love and who in his Spirit is active in the Church throughout the world

But it is not enough to believe this. We have to live this. 

This means we are called to work for unity, that we indeed may become one as Christ is one with each of us. 

This means we have to grow in holiness which is not the same as piety, but rather is the perfection of love, a love that is transformative

This means we have to be catholic, embracing the diversity of people in our world because God does not build walls.

This means we have to believe what the apostles saw and experienced, and in faith, share this Good News for the world.

This is the mission Jesus gave to his Church and we are the Church so it is our mission. 

As we descend into Auckland in some 24 hours time think of the disciples coming down the Mount of Olives after the Ascension and think of their call as our call for we are to be witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.

Go now you are sent forth,

To live what you proclaim;

To show the world you follow Christ

In fact, not just in name.

Go now, you are sent forth

To walk the troubled earth.

To share your faith with all you meet

And prove your real worth.

Go now, you are sent forth

As God's ambassador;

By serving Christ in those we meet

We love him more and more.

Go now, you are sent forth

And Christ goes with you, too.

Today you help his kingdom come

In everything you do.

- Leo Watt, 1969

I have been asked how people can access earlier posts on their phones... Down the bottom of the screen click on "View Web Version" and you can see all the posts on the right hand side. I established this blog for whenever I am travelling on personal or group pilgrimages.