This weekend for the Solemnity of Pentecost, the hymn Veni Creator resounded several times in Jerusalem. Pentecost eve began at the Dominican Fathers' St Stephen's Basilica. It was here that a prayer was held to ask for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and to intercede for justice and peace. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in collaboration with the Episcopal Committee for Religious and the Union of Religious of the Holy Land, had invited all the faithful, bishops, priests, religious and all consecrated persons to pray together in this difficult time for Jerusalem and the entire Holy Land. And the religious communities, together with the faithful, responded with great participation. Pope Francis also asked all pastors and faithful of the Catholic Church to unite spiritually in prayer for peace in the Holy Land. At the invitation of the Holy Father - stressed the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins - the whole Catholic Church today joins in this choral prayer with us, Mother Church of Jerusalem. We thank the Holy Father for this continuous attention to our Church, to our Land and to the peoples who live here. We join, first of all, in praying for the families of those who have been killed in recent days, for those who have lost their homes, who are left alone and without any reference for their lives. We pray for our small Christian community in Gaza, stunned by this new wave of war, but also for all its inhabitants, who have been humiliated for so many years, deprived of freedom, dignity and basic rights. Jerusalem is the heart of divine revelation, the guardian of the desire for communion between God and man. It gathers in itself all the souls of the world and for this very reason it is open to the whole world. HB Mgr PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, ofm Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins "I knew people would come but I did not expect so many of them; I am happy. A sign that everyone feels the need to pray to the Spirit for peace here in the Holy Land. We must always start from the same point: accepting the idea that we are part of each other. Until we accept that we have to live together, these cycles of violence will return. It is the same problem as always." Fr DAVID NEUHAUS, sj Superior of the Jesuit Community of the Holy Land "All the different environments in which Christians have planted themselves have gathered here today, a fantastic reality of our church. We have Christians who are Palestinian Arabs, Christian parishioners in Gaza, Christian parishes throughout the Arab world, here in Palestine and Israel. Then we have the presence of Christians of Jewish expression, small communities spread throughout the large Israeli cities. Theere are Christians who speak Hebrew and who speak the language of love, forgiveness, reconciliation, dialogue in Hebrew." On Saturday evening, the Pentecost Vigil was held at St Saviour's Convent in Jerusalem. Franciscans, local Christians and religious gathered to invoke the Spirit with songs and prayers: "Come Holy Spirit and bring peace to the Holy Land and the World!" During the Vigil, the readings of the Solemnity were proclaimed, accompanied by the singing of the Psalms, strong moments of prayer culminating in the Eucharist. In his homily Br. Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, stressed that "We are here to ask the Spirit to intercede for us not only to end the Covid pandemic on a global level, but also to end the pandemic of violence and hatred. We ask for an end to the conflict that flared up again here a couple of weeks ago. For an end to the conflict in Syria, which has dragged on for more than 10 years, for an end to the conflict in Yemen. For an end to the conflicts that continue to stain Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe with blood". Br FRANCESCO PATTON,ofm Custos of the Holy Land "Pentecost is always an extraordinary occasion to pray for peace in a profound sense, because Pentecost is the reconciliation of different languages, cultures and peoples. Pentecost is the high model of peace. Peace as the pure and simple absence of conflict between people, but also peace as the realisation of a communion that is a gift of God". A few metres from the Cenacle the celebration for the Solemnity of Pentecost continued in the Church of the Dormition of the Benedictine Fathers. The Mass was presided over by His Beatitude Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins, together with the Abbot Fr Bernard Maria Alter and a group of priests. HB Mgr PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, ofm Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins "The first fruit of the Spirit is peace, and we must truly become children of God in the Holy Spirit to realise what He wants from each of us." In his homily, the Patriarch of Jerusalem listed the gifts of the Holy Spirit, identifying, among others, unity, diversity, participation, self-giving, love and peace. He emphasised that these are fruits that are lacking today in the Church, society and politics, especially in Jerusalem. He asked the Holy Spirit to open everyone's eyes, to see the beauty that exists in people and to recognise the beautiful things that make up local society. He then invited us to always be advocates of peace and builders of unity and coexistence. An urgent call for peace is the vocation of the universal Church, said Mgr Pizzaballa. HB Mgr PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, ofm Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins "Pope Francis has invited the whole Church to join with the Church of the Holy Land to pray for peace and justice here in Jerusalem. It is a sign of Pope Francis' closeness to our church and our reality, as well as a sign of his commitment to work together with us, and we with him, for peace in the Holy Land." The Pentecost weekend in Jerusalem ended in the place par excellence: the Upper Room. The recognition of the Upper Room as the place of the descent of the Holy Spirit and the Last Supper is documented from the earliest centuries of Christianity. On the afternoon of Pentecost Sunday, the Franciscans of the Holy Land made a pilgrimage to the Holy Cenacle and on this occasion, the friars of St Saviour's Convent prepared the setting for the celebration of Second Vespers. Br FRANCESCO PATTON,ofm Custos of the Holy Land "The celebration of Vespers right here in the Upper Room with the participation of the people is also positive. Right here in the place where the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles with these tongues of fire, which made the Apostles able to communicate but also made all the people who belonged to different languages and cultures able to listen and understand." A common element in all the celebrations this weekend was expressing thanks to Pope Francis for his closeness and words of support. Br FRANCESCO PATTON,ofm Custos of the Holy Land "Words that encouraged not only to move towards a truce, which has been achieved, but to move towards dialogue, reconciliation and peace." During the prayer of Vespers, presided over by Br Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, together with the Custodial Vicar, Br Dobromir Jazstal, the Franciscan community and religious, the psalms were recited and the biblical texts that recount the event of Pentecost "in loco", i.e. in the very place where it took place, were proclaimed. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them voice. ( Acts 2:1-11). During the liturgy, the upper room was incensed twice. It is the place where, according to tradition, the Holy Spirit descended. In the reflection of the Custos of the Holy Land, a heartfelt appeal: In this place and in this time, I feel that we must not only reflect on the gift of the Holy Spirit but we must above all invoke him. Spirit of the Lord, we need your wind to blow impetuously, once again in this suffering Middle East of ours and in the whole world. So that each one of us may regain the desire to live and proclaim the Gospel, to restore hope to disoriented humanity. We need your breath to flow ceaselessly through this land of ours. Read More