On the morning of 26 December, the Christmas atmosphere livens up and warms up the Infirmary of St Saviour’s Convent in Jerusalem. Here, where the elderly and ill friars find comfort, assistance and care, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Francesco Patton, celebrated Mass in honour of St Stephen, the first martyr.
On this occasion, the Custos exchanged greetings with the elderly confreres and brought a message of hope and closeness to them.
The liturgy was celebrated simply and intimately, accompanied by carols sung by the choir of friars, who contributed to creating a family atmosphere of meditation and prayer.
St Stephen, a message of hope
The reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, relates the martyrdom of St Stephen, inviting the faithful to reflect on the profound example left by the first martyr of the Church who, certain of his faith in Christ, entrusted himself completely to the will of God.
In his Homily, the Custos reflected on the meaning of Christian hope. As St Stephen showed, it is “not a vague desire or some form of expectation, but it has its foundation in our participation in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, through baptism and the gift of the Spirit,” he said. For this reason, “it creates in us the certainty that our life is founded in God and has as its purpose participation in the very life of God.”
The Custos emphasized that patience, which has two meanings, derives from it. The first is “the ability to withstand when we are in difficult and painful situations. Christian hope makes men capable of being in difficult situations and supporting the burdens that life loads on to our shoulders.” The second is “the ability to wait: we have to learn to accept that things mature slowly, both at personal level and as far as the history of humanity is concerned, which thus becomes a history of salvation.”
A fraternal gesture
At the end of the Mass, the friars present gathered for a moment of conviviality, sharing breakfast with the elderly and ill friars and exchanging Christmas greetings. The celebration in the infirmary was thus an occasion to enjoy the Christmas period in communion and fraternity, with special attention to the “last.”
This moment of fraternal sharing reminds us that despite the difficulties and the challenges of our time, the Christian community continues to announce the good news of the salvation to all men.
By Lucia Borgato | custodia
