The reading from Acts tells us that after they watched Jesus ascend to heaven, the apostles retreated to "the upper room." Tradition indicates that this is the same room that they had shared the last supper with Jesus, and where he had appeared to them after his resurrection. It was a place of safety, where they went to elude the impending danger that pursued them during their ministry, and also a place they returned to pray and break bread together, invoking Jesus' presence and drawing strength by revisiting his instructions to them: "Do this in memory of me."
It makes sense that they made a physical return to a place that held such powerful memories for them. No doubt it brought them strength, comfort, and a feeling of safety during very difficult and confusing times.
This weekend, I also returned to an important place that helped to form the woman I am today—it was my 15-year reunion at Fordham University. This was the place where I feel like I did the most growing—not just academically and socially, but spiritually too. Like the apostles, I returned with my friends, and sharing their company this weekend brought me a tremendous amount of strength and peace. It's wonderful to know that the people I chose (and who chose me) nearly 20 years ago are still among the most important people in my life. They helped me to become the person I am, and they shared many of my significant memories—including those moments where I was most challenged. Thank God for their presence then and their continued presence now.
The Rose Hill campus is hardly the Upper Room, and my life now doesn't present anything like the perils of first century Judea. But reading tonight about how the apostles physically returned to this significant place that helped define their life and work, I couldn't help but think of my own weekend, with gratitude. I'm reminded that returning to the places, practices, and people that brought me strength in the past will continue to bring me strength today.
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