Today, Monday 7th April, Archbishop Paul Cremona, the three Franciscan Ministers Provincials, and 170 Maltese pilgrims have returned to Malta from a 7 day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, organised by Fr. Anthony Chircop OFM, Holy Land Commissary in Malta.
On Sunday the Archbishop celebrated the concluding Mass of the pilgrimage at the sanctuary of the Manifestation of the Risen Christ at Emmaus. His concluding homily developed the theme of the Eucharistic acclamation after the consecration: “We proclaim your death O Lord, we announce the joy of your resurrection, and we wait for you until you come in glory”. Archbishop Cremona said that, on Holy Thursday, Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Cenaculum in order to anticipate His death on a cross. So the Eucharist is the memorial of the sacrifice of Christ. At Emmaus Christ revealed himself to the two disciples in the breaking of bread, as the Risen Lord. During our Sunday Eucharist Christ does the same thing, and He becomes our hope of life and resurrection. With the celebration of the first Christian community in the Acts of the Apostles, Christ perpetuates in His church the second coming in glory. We live all these three dimensions of the mystery of the Eucharist every time we gather to listen to the Word of God and to break the same Bread of Life. At the end of the Mass Fr. Twanny thanked Mgr. Cremona for his presence and witness. The whole congregation gave our Archbishop a resounding standing ovation.
On Sunday evening the Archbishop and Provincials were invited to the convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Heart of Jesus in Saint Saviour’s Franciscan friary in Jerusalem, where there was a meeting of all the Maltese religious living in Israel and Palestine with the Archbishop. Mgr. Cremona listened to the enriching experiences of each and every religious, some of whom have been in the Holy Land since 1945. After this meeting the Archbishop and Provincials were guests at dinner at the friary of Saint Saviour’s, where they were met by the Father Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM.
The pilgrims left Jerusalem this morning and are due back to Malta this afternoon.
