In what is called the "city of Jesus", Capernaum, the Franciscan community of the Holy Land, together with the local faithful, celebrated the solemn entrance of the Custos, Br. Francesco Ielpo.

During the Mass in the House of Peter, the Custos offered a reflection on the Gospel of the raising of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the woman with hemorrhages, (Luke 8:40-56) weaving the Gospel story together with the spiritual meaning of the place.

Capernaum, the city of Jesus

"Jesus returns to Capernaum, the city that has now become his home."

With these words Br. Francesco Ielpo opened his homily during the celebration on October 11, 2025, in Capernaum, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

The Custos recalled that Capernaum is not only a geographical place, but a sign of welcome and communion:

"Jesus does not have a fixed home, he continually moves to proclaim the Kingdom of God, but he always returns to Capernaum, as one returns among friends, to a place of hospitality and affection."

He then added:

"Capernaum is the city of his disciples, of the first whom he called to follow him, of his friends. It is the city where one breathes familiarity with the Master, where one feels part of the same story of faith. We could say that wherever there are friends of Jesus, there is his city."

From here, the invitation to make our communities and families places where Christ can dwell:

"Our communities, our families, our hearts can also become 'Capernaum', the city of Jesus, if there is room in them for his presence, for his word and for his friendship."

Two intertwined miracles

Br. Ielpo’s commentary on the Gospel of Luke (8:40-56) focused on two episodes united by a deep connection: the raising of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the woman who for twelve years had suffered from bleeding.

"Twelve years, the same age of the little girl and the duration of the woman’s illness. A life that begins and a life that fades. Two stories that touch each other like two intertwined threads: a young girl who dies and a woman who slowly fades away, losing blood, that is, losing life."

The Custos emphasized the strength of the woman's gesture, who approaches silently and touches the fringe of Jesus' cloak:

"She does not dare to speak, she does not dare to look Jesus in the face. She knows that the law forbids her to touch a man, especially a teacher, because she is impure. Yet she does not stop before anything: she has only one desire in her heart, to live."

That touch, he explained, is a simple and profound act of faith:

"A small gesture, almost invisible, but full of faith. And in that instant her life changes, the blood stops, life returns."

The faith that saves

"Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

Br. Ielpo invited those present to pause on these words:

"Jesus does not say 'has healed you', but 'has saved you'. Salvation is something deeper than healing: it is life regained, communion restored, faith that becomes a relationship with God."

The Custos then reminded that faith does not eliminate human fragility, but transforms it:

"We too, many times, lose life, every time we let ourselves be overcome by sin, by indifference, by lack of love. But the Lord continues to pass beside us. It is enough to have the courage to touch the hem of his cloak, that is, to approach him with faith, even with a small gesture of trust, and his grace can renew us."

A message valid for every believer:

"It does not matter how great our wound or our weakness is: if we entrust ourselves to Jesus, faith saves us. This is what truly matters: not only healing, which may not come, but salvation, the new life born from the encounter with Christ."

Capernaum today

In conclusion, the Custos recalled the current meaning of this Gospel place:

"Today Jesus also returns among us, in our Capernaum. He returns to his Church, among his friends, to restore life, strength and hope to those who have lost it. Let us allow ourselves to be touched by him, and above all let us dare to touch him, with faith, with the desire to live, with the trust that only he can give us peace."

The celebration, attended by friars, faithful, and pilgrims, expressed the bond between the Custody of the Holy Land and the Gospel sites, where the Word continues to speak with the same power as two thousand years ago.

In Capernaum, the "city of Jesus", the community renewed its vocation to be a home and a sign of living faith in the heart of Galilee.