Bethlehem, the city where Jesus was born and the heart of the Christmas celebrations, once again welcomed the  friars of the Custody of the Holy Land for the Epiphany.

This is the celebration of the appearance of Jesus to all peoples, represented by the Three Magi. “The feast of the Epiphany goes beyond every nationalism,” said the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Francesco Patton, greeting a delegation from the parish of Jerusalem, who accompanied him as he entered Bethlehem, on the morning of 5 January.

The entrance into Bethlehem

On the way to Bethlehem, the delegation with the Custos of the Holy Land also stopped at Mar Elias,  where some representatives of the community of Beit Jala and a group of children who take part in the sports program  “Children without borders,” supported by the Custody of the Holy Land through the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL), were awaiting him.

After having got through the border checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem at Rachel’s Tomb, the Custos arrived in “Star Street,” which according to tradition the Holy Family went down. The procession towards the Basilica of the Nativity started from here. The procession was “escorted” by a group of Terra Sancta scouts.

The Custos and the friars entered the adjacent St Catherine’s basilica to the singing of the Te Deum, for a brief moment of prayer and greetings to the faithful present. “We have sung: “In You I have hoped, I will not be confused in eternity.’ We will not be confused only if our hope is in Jesus Christ,” the Custos said. “All the other forms of hope are destined to fail.”

The Mass of Epiphany

This year, the Solemn Mass of Epiphany has a special flavor, as it is part of the Jubilee celebrations. The Custos emphasized this in his homily, presenting the journey of the Magi as a real “pilgrimage in search of God, who becomes present in the Child Jesus,” the same one that every Christian is called to make.

“To find Jesus, we have to set off and become “pilgrims of hope.” Pope Francis has reminded us: Setting off on a journey is typical of those who go to search for the meaning of life.’ Following the example of the Mahi, we also try to become “pilgrims of hope.”

The Magi also indicate the method of the journey. “We have to put all our knowledge to good use, as the Magi did reading the language of the stars, but we also have to allow ourselves to be helped by those who have read the Word of God and can indicate Jesus and the place where to find him.”

The Custos also read out the brief prayer, “Act of hope” which the Ordinaries of the Holy Land offered for the reflection of the faithful in their message for the Jubilee.

The procession (and the gifts) of the Magi

The Three Magi, the wise men who came from the East to afore Jesus, are the “co-stars” of this feast-day and symbol of the whole of humanity to whom Jesus wanted to appear. This is why, alongside the actual liturgical celebrations, tradition has it that in the afternoon of 6 January, three friars representing the Magi,  go in procession to the Grotto and distribute gifts to the faithful of the local Christian community.

Fra Luis Enrique Segovia, guardian of  the Bethlehem convent, carried the golden rose donated by Paul VI to the Basilica of the Nativity. Fra Alberto J. Pari, secretary pf the Custody of the Holy Land carried the incense, with which the places of the appearance of Jesus in the Grotto of the Nativity were incensed – the silver star, the manger and the altar of the Magi. Fra Jad Sara, in charge of the friars’ infirmary, carried the myrrh and the perfumed oil, once used for burial.

After the adoration in the Grotto, the friars in procession went round the cloister of St Catherine’s church three times. The procession was headed by the three Magi, who distributed to the faithful grains of incense and drops of myrrh, and the Custos with the statue of the Child Jesus on the throne, offered to the devotion of the faithful. The celebrations of Epiphany came to an end with the solemn blessing with the statue of the Child Jesus.