In his sermon, Sabbara emphasized the spirituality of the Virgin Mary and her steadfast faith and hope, “she who said yes to the angel, believed in the will of the Father, and clung to hope in the face of the harsh sight of the cross.”
“Today, we live the same scene of crucifixion, and we must, like Mary, hold onto hope that we will move toward resurrection and salvation,” he continued. “Christ came here and died here to make us heroes in our life stories, not stories of the past or future. Through the Virgin Mary and her life journey on this holy land, we can become heroes and saints living in the same place where she lived.”
Speaking to ACI Mena, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Pizzaballa remarked: “You cannot talk about the family without the mother, nor can you talk about the Church without Mary. Mary is our mother; a mother who feels the pain of her children. Today, Mary feels the suffering of her people, looks at them with compassion, and prays fervently for us to our heavenly Father.”
The procession started from the Church of St. Savior and was attended by hundreds of Christians along with several bishops, Franciscan monks, priests, and nuns. It then paused in three places: the School of the Frères, the Latin Patriarchate Church in Jerusalem, and finally the Custody of the Holy Land — the headquarters of the Franciscan monks.
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