Shalom Community's Pentecost mass in Jerusalem

For the past five years, the Shalom Community has gathered members of the Christian communities of Haifa and Nazareth to celebrate the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Every year the number of participants grows and yesterday two full buses with adults, whole families, many children and young people left Haifa at 8:30 am. The program always starts with the Eucharist, then a shared lunch in an open space in the city and finally the visit and a long prayer in the Cenacle, asking for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all present. The prayer is done in a very 'charismatic' way, with much piety, music, praise and free singing in the Spirit. Every year many pilgrims from all over the world join the group and this year was not different, we had the chance to see people from Japan, Russia and Europe raising their arms in praise and also asking for prayer, for the release of the Holy Spirit in their own lives. As usual it is truly a unique experience of being One Body of Christ, who fulfills His promise.

The release of the Holy Spirit is the key to having a renewed and truly full Christian life as after the sacrament of baptism all have the Holy Spirit but does the Holy Spirit have us? The change in perspective represents a turning point in the life of whoever wants to know - in the biblical meaning - Jesus and serve Him. And the more we open our hearts in desire of fullness and surrender, the more the Holy Spirit comes in love, in life, in presence. Many times He also leads us to some unexpected experiences.

Yesterday was one of them. Year after year Fr. Dani, a Lebanese Salesian priest, celebrates the Eucharist for us in Jerusalem and stays the whole day together with us, praying for people, listening to confessions, etc. However, on Saturday morning, Tennessee, the coordinator of the event got a phone call that Fr. Dani would not come as he was sick. What to do? Who would substitute him at the last moment? What was the good surprise the Lord had for us through this unexpected change of plans? Whom should we call to help us in the very last moment, the eve of an important feast? The only name that came to our minds was Fr. David, who coincidently would be in Haifa to celebrate Pentecost in the kehilla because Fr. Roman is still in Poland, on his last week of vacation. Thanks be to God, Fr. David rearranged his tight agenda, made haste to help us and came to our aid - as the psalm says - and invited us all then, to have mass as the Jesuits' House in Jerusalem at 11am.

The mass was celebrated in perfect Arabic and the chapel was full. The songs were joyful and in his homily Fr. David stressed the aspect of us being now the visible Body of Jesus and only filled with the Spirit of Jesus can we live as such. Only the Holy Spirit can make this miracle and can transform us into signs and instruments of salvation and peace in this land and the world. Another very moving part of the celebration was at the end before the final blessing when Fr. David gave his personal testimony as a Jew and a Jesuit priest, celebrating to an assembly made up of people from different nations but mostly Arabs. There is no more division among us as we are only one Body of Christ, one family of brothers and sisters, His visible presence!

That is why at the end of the mass a picture was taken under the beautiful cross of the chapel where we can see only the Blessed Virgin Mary at the feet of the Cross gazing at Jesus. The disciple Jesus loved is missing. Where is this disciple? We are the beloved disciple and we placed ourselves as one body in his place. We start again the ordinary time in the liturgical calendar but surely the Lord wants us to live the ordinary in an extraordinary way, led by the Holy Spirit. Only He can recreate in us our original freedom and beauty, the image of Jesus.

We thank Fr. David for his charity to us, Shalom Community and all pilgrims from Galilee, and we hope next year he joins us again even if Fr. Dani is healthy and comes too.