“Who loves Jesus?” The chorus of replies is joyful and unanimous: “Me!” “Me!” “Me!”
On Saturday, December 23, Saint Saviour’s Church in Jerusalem is filled with children from the tiniest up to the age of 10 or 11. They have come to the Mass organized by their parish priest, Father Ibrahim Faltas ofm, who invited the Father Custos, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to be the principal celebrant. The children have come from Beit Safafa, a Jerusalem suburb on the way to Bethlehem, from Beit Hanina, on the way to Ramallah but before the Kalandiya checkpoint, and from Jerusalem, particularly from the Old City’s Christian Quarter. “All together, you are one big family,” Father Ibrahim told them, “and all together we are preparing ourselves for Christmas, which is almost here.” In his homily, the Custos continued the theme. “Christmas,” he reminded the children, “is not first of all Santa Claus; it is first of all Jesus. And what counts most in life is not presents; it’s Jesus’ love and loving Jesus.” The Custos told them how happy he was to celebrate Mass with them, the future of the Jerusalem parish. “How old is Jesus?” “Thirty-three years old!” “Two thousand years old!” “Jesus has all ages,” continued the Custos, “because he is there for each of us and his love is for all time.”
Several Arab Franciscan friars were present to help with the singing… and a little bit of discipline. Then it was time for Communion. Those too young to receive Communion also move toward the priests, following local custom, to receive a blessing. Their joy was beautiful to behold.
It must be added that after Mass a party was organized for them at Terra Sancta Boys School, during which, to celebrate Jesus’ love, the Custos himself bowed to tradition and distributed the presents. While the group Hope provided a musical background, the children gather around the Custos. More than 800 gifts had been prepared by the parish for the Sunday School children, and the Custos took up the relay.
A living crèche, mimed by several of the children and prepared by the Sisters of Mother Teresa, brought everyone back to essentials, and then everyone went joyfully on their way to continue the festivities with their families.
MAB
On Saturday, December 23, Saint Saviour’s Church in Jerusalem is filled with children from the tiniest up to the age of 10 or 11. They have come to the Mass organized by their parish priest, Father Ibrahim Faltas ofm, who invited the Father Custos, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to be the principal celebrant. The children have come from Beit Safafa, a Jerusalem suburb on the way to Bethlehem, from Beit Hanina, on the way to Ramallah but before the Kalandiya checkpoint, and from Jerusalem, particularly from the Old City’s Christian Quarter. “All together, you are one big family,” Father Ibrahim told them, “and all together we are preparing ourselves for Christmas, which is almost here.” In his homily, the Custos continued the theme. “Christmas,” he reminded the children, “is not first of all Santa Claus; it is first of all Jesus. And what counts most in life is not presents; it’s Jesus’ love and loving Jesus.” The Custos told them how happy he was to celebrate Mass with them, the future of the Jerusalem parish. “How old is Jesus?” “Thirty-three years old!” “Two thousand years old!” “Jesus has all ages,” continued the Custos, “because he is there for each of us and his love is for all time.”
Several Arab Franciscan friars were present to help with the singing… and a little bit of discipline. Then it was time for Communion. Those too young to receive Communion also move toward the priests, following local custom, to receive a blessing. Their joy was beautiful to behold.
It must be added that after Mass a party was organized for them at Terra Sancta Boys School, during which, to celebrate Jesus’ love, the Custos himself bowed to tradition and distributed the presents. While the group Hope provided a musical background, the children gather around the Custos. More than 800 gifts had been prepared by the parish for the Sunday School children, and the Custos took up the relay.
A living crèche, mimed by several of the children and prepared by the Sisters of Mother Teresa, brought everyone back to essentials, and then everyone went joyfully on their way to continue the festivities with their families.
MAB