1 April 2015
Wednesday of Holy Week
The battle of Jerusalem is the battle to build a new city. Some group of revolutionaries wants to build a New Jerusalem. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in the Spe Salvi, Karl Marx and his revolutionary counterpart simply presumed that with the expropriation of the ruling class, with the fall of political power and the socialization of means of production, the New Jerusalem would be realized. Then, all contradictions would be resolved; man and the world would finally sort themselves out. Then everything would be able to proceed by itself along the right path, because everything would belong to everyone and all would desire the best for one another.
Unfortunately, Judas the Iscariot switches sides and joins these revolutionaries. He wants to see the end of misery and suffering on the planet of earth. He wants to see Jesus as the temporal King who can bring peace, prosperity and justice. But he does not see the quality of the temporal King in Jesus. Judas grew impatient with Jesus whose ultimate dream is to bring us in the union with His Father in the eternal life as the New Jerusalem.
Like Judas, in some way or another we might also grow impatient with Jesus. Why the Christ Jesus let so many suffering and injustice on earth. Can we can trust Jesus’ game plan. Can we have faith in Jesus that His Kingdom is not on this earth? Can we have hope that we will see Jesus’ New Jerusalem in the eternal life?