On the eve of Pentecost, Saturday, May 18, 2024, at the Dominican Convent of St. Stephen in Jerusalem, which also houses the Ecole Biblique et Archéologique Française (EBAF), a prayer for peace was presided over by H.E. Bishop William Shomali, General Vicar of the Latin Patriarchate, which brought together many religious and lay people, among them was Fr. Matthew Marcel Coutinho, SDB, Patriarchal Vicar for Migrants and Asylum Seekers.
Animated by the Salesians, the ceremony interspersed several reading passages with invocations to the Holy Spirit intoned by their choir.
During the prayer service, young participants placed bricks covered with craft paper in front of the altar, revealing the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. Just before the Gospel reading, two Salesians changed the arrangement of the bricks to symbolize the city of God, revealing to the assembly the fruits of the Spirit's presence, which included Peace, Love, and Mercy.
In his homily, Mgr. Shomali drew a parallel between the biblical episode of the Tower of Babel and the Apostles' sudden ability to be understood by all those around them. “The feast of Pentecost is not simply a commemoration of this story; today, we urge the Holy Spirit to come within us and fill us with the fruits of his presence, so that we may continue to be his instrument; right here in the Holy Land”.
On Pentecost Day, May 19th, 2024, Mgr William Shomali, Mgr Boulos-Marcuzzo, Bishop Emeritus, and Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel, presided over the celebratory Mass at Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem. Concelebrating were many bishops, priests, and sisters from various Catholic rites and Orders. The seminarists of Beit Jala supervised at the altar and recited sacred hymns.
Mgr. Shomali spoke of the division facing humanity despite the technological developments that aid in communication. He said that the lack of communication and misunderstanding among humans lead to violence and hatred, yet “at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit reverses this situation!' (Acts 2.13). His presence unites and transforms confusion into communion, fears into courage, hatred into love. He makes hearts capable of understanding each other because he re-establishes authentic communication between Earth and Heaven. The Holy Spirit is Love”. He also encouraged the faithful to not lose hope for the spirit of the Lord is always at work and will eventually bring peace and reconciliation. He ended by invoking the Holy Spirit to renew the members of the Church and grant decision-makers wisdom to know the truth to make the right decisions.
Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel expressed his joy for the presence of the Patriarch among the faithful of Gaza, saying: “This goes to show that human borders cannot separate the Body of Christ as we celebrate this feast in one Spirit”.
At the end of Mass, flower petals fell from the ceiling as a resemblance of the tongues of fire, which came upon all those present at the Upper Room during Pentecost.
“Today we celebrate a new beginning in the History of Salvation…We celebrate the faithfulness of God,” said Louis, a French pilgrim who came by foot to the Holy Land, with two of his sisters Marie-liesse and Madeline. He elaborated: “Although Jesus physically left us, and it might have seemed like the end of a great endeavor, yet it was only the beginning of the greater works of the Church, done by the Spirit through the Apostles. Today we remember the work we have been called for as believers, to spread the good news to those who are weary”.