As every year, on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, the Christian community of the Holy Land gathered on the banks of the Jordan River to commemorate the Gospel event in which Jesus received baptism from Saint John the Baptist. This celebration, deeply rooted in the history of the Church, concluded the liturgical season of Christmas and offered the faithful and pilgrims present a moment of reflection on the meaning of their own Christian baptism and on belonging to the ecclesial community.

The place of the celebration: Qasr al-Yahud

The ceremony took place at the site of Qasr al-Yahud, located on the western bank of the Jordan River, not far from Jericho. According to Christian tradition, this is the place where Jesus immersed himself in the waters of the Jordan to receive baptism, as narrated in the Gospels. The site, now equipped to welcome pilgrims, provided the setting for processions and liturgical celebrations involving friars, local faithful and numerous pilgrims, also coming from the parishes of Jericho, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Beit Hanina.

The welcome, the procession and the Eucharistic celebration

The day began with a moment of welcome at the Franciscan Convent of the Good Shepherd in Jericho, where the local Catholic community, together with civil and religious authorities, welcomed the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land and the Custos, Fr. Francesco Ielpo. Among those present were also the Consuls of Italy, Spain, France and Belgium, bearing witness to the attention and support of the diplomatic representations for this important religious event.

Subsequently, the community moved in procession towards the Baptism site. Upon reaching the riverbanks, the faithful took part in the outdoor Eucharistic celebration, in an atmosphere of recollection and participation, marked by the simplicity of the place and the strong symbolic value of the waters of the Jordan.

During the Mass, the Gospel passage recalling the baptism of Jesus was proclaimed. In the homily, it was emphasized how, through baptism, every believer becomes a child of God and a living member of the Church, called to bear witness to the Gospel in daily life.

A well attended celebration

The celebration saw significant participation from local faithful, particularly from Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho. Parish groups, religious men and women, families and pilgrims gathered in this place of great spiritual value, joining together in a single liturgy. The presence of communities from different parts of the world made visible the universal character of the Church and the deep bond that unites Christians to the Gospel places.

At the end of the celebration, the Custos of the Holy Land expressed heartfelt thanks to the civil authorities present and to all those who contributed to the successful outcome of the day. Special thanks were addressed to those who, with time and dedication, collaborated in the organization of the celebration, from the liturgical service to the preparation of the spaces, from the singing to the management of logistical and administrative aspects.

A message of faith and fraternity

The celebration of the Baptism of Christ at the Jordan was not only a liturgical rite, but also a concrete sign of continuity between ancient Christian traditions and the faith lived today. In a territory marked by complex social and political realities, this annual event represented a moment of shared prayer and Christian witness.

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord thus became, once again, an opportunity to renew the commitment to peace, fraternity and dialogue, calling the faithful to the responsibility of living the Gospel in daily life and of safeguarding the spiritual heritage of Christ baptized and redeemer.

The Mount of Temptation

At the end of the celebration at the Jordan River, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land, together with civil authorities and the faithful, went on pilgrimage to the summit of the Mount of Temptation. Here stands the Greek Orthodox monastery that recalls the Gospel narratives of the temptations of Jesus in the desert and the period of forty days of fasting and prayer lived by the Lord after baptism.

The site, overlooking the plain of Jericho, offered the participants a further moment of recollection and meditation, allowing them to ideally connect the mystery of the Baptism of Christ with the beginning of his public life and with the trial experienced in the desert.