Holy Land–[Cancão Nova News] The Church closed the Year of the Priest last week, but for the priests of Brazil that participated in the solemnity with the Pope, still it is time to celebrate, but now not in Rome, but in the Holy Land.

The dioceses of Brazil were well represented in the Holy Land. There were more than 500 consecrated, among priests, archbishops and bishops of the parishes of various states concelebrated the Mass in the Basilica of Agony in Jerusalem, presided by Bishop Dino, Ordinary of Caruaru in Pernambuco, Brazil.

The Altar is joined to the rock where Jesus lived his supreme anguish before his passion. A local opportunity for priests to renew their complete self offering to the will of the Father.

After three intense days of retreat in the Vatican, for the occasion of the closing of the Year of the Priest, the Fathers of Brazil arrived in the Holy Land. Not for a pilgrimage, but a great journey of prayer through the places of the bible.

One of the major pilgrimages with priests of the same country.

After visiting the holy places in Gallilee and in Judea, they relived in Gethsemani, the suffering of Christ, this did not take out the joy of celebration in the mass that reunited 14 buses of pilgrims in the moment of gratitude for the 12 months in which the Church honored the gift of priesthood.

“There is no greater love than to give your life for your brothers.” These were the words beginning the homily of Bishop Dino. Here Jesus felt alone and it is this that consoles the priest in the day to day having confronted moments of pain, calumny and loneliness. The priestly life, therefore, only sustains itself in the experience of an unconditional joy and in the full communion with the Father.

In the prayer in the assembly, a prayer for the priest, by the faithful of the whole world that live today some form of anguish, for the sick and a call for peace in the Holy Land.

A plaque already indicates that Brazil is one of the Christian countries that helped to construct the actual Basilica, in the past century.It is for this reason that the Church is also known as the Basilica of Nations.

The climate already leads the pilgrim to the mortal pain that Jesus suffered there, to the point of sweating blood, because he knew the type of suffering that would happen.

Thaysi Santos

Translated from Portuguese