To the sound of Adeste Fideles, the faithful hurried forward, joyful and triumphant—some in wheelchairs, some with walkers, some unaided. The Lord gathered the friars of the Custodial Infirmary as he does every morning for Mass. But on the feast day of Saint Stephen they were joined by numerous other friars from Saint Saviour, who had come to celebrate the first Christian martyr and the Christmas holiday with them.
The Custos of the Holy Land presided. " Stephen has proclaimed : " Receive my spirit , "which means : " Receive my life. " I would like to stay on this expression.
Today we are gathered here, young and old. Someone at the beginning of his journey in the religious life, others already closed to the Meeting with the Lord, but we all have delivered the life to Him. We are all called to deliver continuously, daily, to him our own life, in its various phases and at the times and in the manner that He requires. The young, enthusiastic about their beginning, must be able to put their enthusiasm in the hands of God and the elders, with the experience of those who lived longer and had already given so much to the Lord, today are called to put in His hands, again and again, their will and the vigor of their body, which gradually abandon them, in order to seek refuge in prayer. The world judges men for what they do or that they are able to produce, implement, build, create, but, as we read from the writings of Saint Francis (Admonitions XIX), the elderly friars teach us that we are as much as we are before the Lord, in the truth of our lives, totally abandoned into the hands of an Other, and not for what we produce. Often the world judges the elderly unnecessary or expensive. On the contrary, we should look at this stage of life as a loved moment, when it is purified, liberated from all what is superfluous. When we are young, in fact, we are often unknowingly looking for the success of our activities, we want gratification, running the risk of retaining for ourselves what instead belongs to Him. Our elder brothers, who have already given up everything - activities, initiatives, and even their physical vigor - are now in the truth of their relationship with the Lord. They have nothing to retain for themselves, they have already given everything and are prepared for the final encounter.
Christmas invites us to celebrate a birth, to celebrate the gift of life, we are all invited to put our earthly lives in a Greater Life. Let us pray for our brothers who, at this stage of their life, be with all heart consecrated to prayer. In fact, what matters is not to produce or to do something for the world or even for the Church, but to be and to live in the heart of God, who is the joy of our lives. "
At the end of the celebration, the friars enjoyed a meal together, lingering and prolonging the encounter in fraternal joy.
There are presently eight friars living in the infirmary of Saint Saviour Monastery, under the care since 2006 of Fra Jad Sara and Sister Fedelina Galea, a Franciscan of the Sacred Heart who has been serving in this role for thirty-two years. They are joined by a team of six nurses who rotate days and nights, a physician, and four other workers who help in the kitchen, with maintaining the facility and sometimes assist the nurses.
Later in the afternoon, the Feast of Saint Stephen continued at the site of the saint’s martyrdom in the Kedron Valley. It is in a grotto attached to the Greek Orthodox convent of Mar Stephanos, located below the Lions Gate, which is also known as Saint Stephan’s Gate. Here the liturgy of the traditional pilgrimage took place.
After reading the account of the saint’s martyrdom in the Acts of the Apostles, Father Eugenio Alliata of the Studium Biblicum explained to the friars and lay faithful present the traditions about the various translations (displacements) of the relic of Saint Stephen. Everyone then adjourned to the Gethsemane friary for a warm beverage.
The Custos of the Holy Land presided. " Stephen has proclaimed : " Receive my spirit , "which means : " Receive my life. " I would like to stay on this expression.
Today we are gathered here, young and old. Someone at the beginning of his journey in the religious life, others already closed to the Meeting with the Lord, but we all have delivered the life to Him. We are all called to deliver continuously, daily, to him our own life, in its various phases and at the times and in the manner that He requires. The young, enthusiastic about their beginning, must be able to put their enthusiasm in the hands of God and the elders, with the experience of those who lived longer and had already given so much to the Lord, today are called to put in His hands, again and again, their will and the vigor of their body, which gradually abandon them, in order to seek refuge in prayer. The world judges men for what they do or that they are able to produce, implement, build, create, but, as we read from the writings of Saint Francis (Admonitions XIX), the elderly friars teach us that we are as much as we are before the Lord, in the truth of our lives, totally abandoned into the hands of an Other, and not for what we produce. Often the world judges the elderly unnecessary or expensive. On the contrary, we should look at this stage of life as a loved moment, when it is purified, liberated from all what is superfluous. When we are young, in fact, we are often unknowingly looking for the success of our activities, we want gratification, running the risk of retaining for ourselves what instead belongs to Him. Our elder brothers, who have already given up everything - activities, initiatives, and even their physical vigor - are now in the truth of their relationship with the Lord. They have nothing to retain for themselves, they have already given everything and are prepared for the final encounter.
Christmas invites us to celebrate a birth, to celebrate the gift of life, we are all invited to put our earthly lives in a Greater Life. Let us pray for our brothers who, at this stage of their life, be with all heart consecrated to prayer. In fact, what matters is not to produce or to do something for the world or even for the Church, but to be and to live in the heart of God, who is the joy of our lives. "
At the end of the celebration, the friars enjoyed a meal together, lingering and prolonging the encounter in fraternal joy.
There are presently eight friars living in the infirmary of Saint Saviour Monastery, under the care since 2006 of Fra Jad Sara and Sister Fedelina Galea, a Franciscan of the Sacred Heart who has been serving in this role for thirty-two years. They are joined by a team of six nurses who rotate days and nights, a physician, and four other workers who help in the kitchen, with maintaining the facility and sometimes assist the nurses.
Later in the afternoon, the Feast of Saint Stephen continued at the site of the saint’s martyrdom in the Kedron Valley. It is in a grotto attached to the Greek Orthodox convent of Mar Stephanos, located below the Lions Gate, which is also known as Saint Stephan’s Gate. Here the liturgy of the traditional pilgrimage took place.
After reading the account of the saint’s martyrdom in the Acts of the Apostles, Father Eugenio Alliata of the Studium Biblicum explained to the friars and lay faithful present the traditions about the various translations (displacements) of the relic of Saint Stephen. Everyone then adjourned to the Gethsemane friary for a warm beverage.