On the way in Lent. Among the stones of Jerusalem
Reflections by Luigi Testa* on Ash Wednesday
"Therefore he firmly decided to go to Jerusalem" (Lk 9.51). Literally, "his face harden", and headed to Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the firm and compact city (Ps 122.3), the throne of the Lord (Ger 3:17). Holy city, place of your rest (Sir 36,15), capital of the great king (Ps 48.3).
Jerusalem, perfect beauty (Ps 50,2); its doors of sapphire and emerald, its walls of precious stones; The very pure gold towers, its streets crouched with turquoise and Ofir stone (TB 13:17).
Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and teases those who have been sent to her (23:37 mt). The love story that keeps in itself the whole story - all my story - is recapitated there, on those stones, under that sun. We must harden the face, and head there, to Jerusalem. There is the promise: "Here, I place a stone in Zion, a chosen stone, angular, precious, firmly founded: whoever believes will not be disturbed" (Is 28,16).
Lent is to search, among the stones of each Jerusalem - between the history of each call and every contradiction - the cornerstone on which everything is or everything falls.
* Luigi Testa is the author of legal texts and writes for some national newspapers. “Via crucis of a gay boy” (Castelvecchi, 2024) is his first book of a spiritual nature, other of his reflections are also published onGionata.org..
