The first Lenten pilgrimage led by the friars of the Custody brought together the faithful on the Mount of Olives, the Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
During Lent, in preparation for the Holy Week, the Franciscans of the Custody enliven the weekly pilgrimages to the shrines linked to the Passion of Jesus.
A tradition dating back to the late nineteenth century. The first meeting was held Wednesday, March 15 on the Mount of Olives, in the Dominus Flevit Church, the place from which one can admire the Holy City in all its glory and in the commemoration of Jesus’ tears over it.
“At that time, when Jesus was near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying: ”
Pilgrims and local Christians attended the Eucharistic celebration, preceded by the solemn vespers. The Mass was presided by Brother Stéphane Milovitch, Head of the Cultural Heritage of the Custody of the Holy Land, and by about ten other concelebrating priests. The first meditation of the Lenten pilgrimage was made by Fr. Matteo Munari, a professor at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem.
“Love is not loved” is the central theme of the reflection.