His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, special envoy of Pope Francis
and Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches on Sunday,
October 16, celebrated the first Solemn Pontifical Mass for the Memorial
Sanctuary of Moses on Mount Nebo, southwest of the capital, Amman,
after it had been rebuilt.
The Mass was co-celebrated by Custos of the Holy Land Fr. Francesco
Patton and Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Monsignor Alberto Ortega Martin.
Present at the Mass were a number of priests, the Italian ambassador to
Jordan, a number of senior officials.
In his homily, Cardinal Sandri said: “Today we celebrate the
Eucharist and bless the new altar of this sanctuary. Our thanksgiving
rises to the Father of all mercies, and in the Holy Spirit we can feel
the embrace of the communion of saints: those who heard the voice of God
believed His promise and set out along the way. These are the
descendants of Abraham, our father in faith, through Moses and the
prophets, until the fullness of time, when God sent us His Son Jesus
Christ our Lord.”
Stressing that each tile of the beautiful mosaics seems to echo the
song of praise to the Lord of our brothers and sisters, he said: “Here
it was that Moses closed his eyes to the life of this world, but not
before having contemplated the fulfillment of the promise: the people
would enter into the land ‘flowing with milk and honey.’ What are the
characteristics of the experience lived by Moses? Let the Word of God
indicate them to us.”
Referring to Moses as a great prophet, he added that he “is greater
than all the others, because ‘the Lord knew him face to face’, even
before the great wonders accomplished in the presence of Pharaoh… It was
not Moses who sought out the Lord, but rather it was God, Who found His
servant and made him hear His voice.”
Referring to violence and wars prevailing in the world, he said:”We
are reminded of many divisions and counter-witnesses, of the conflicts
that for decades have set one people against another, of the cry of
those fleeing war and persecution in Syria and Iraq to find refuge in
the country of Jordan…We cannot ignore the sin of those who blaspheme
the name of God by using violence against their fellow human beings… May
this Shrine, which is being re-opened in the Holy Year of Mercy, remain
a place where pilgrims learn to be merciful through having a concrete
experience of it. May this sanctuary, O Lord, be a place to have a
living experience of You… May there be no more violence, oppression and
denial of the basic freedom to profess one’s faith. We ask these things
with the trust and docility of Mary’s heart, especially for the
ecumenical journey among the Churches.”
Following the Mass, an inaugural concert was held featuring the new
Mount Nebo Organ. This new Organ of Mount Nebo though small, is the
handiwork of prestigious Italian craftsman Nicola Puccini and seems to
be currently the only pipe organ in Jordan. The installation of the
instrument and the concert has been organized in collaboration with the
Italian Embassy in Amman. The concert included performances by noted
Italian organist Eugenio Maria Fagiani, soloists of the Fountain of Love
Choir of Amman, and renowned oud player Tareq Al-Jundi, accompanied by
Nasser Salameh.
Present at the concert, among others, were Italian Ambassador to
Jordan Giovanni Brauzzi, US Ambassador to Jordan US Ambassador to Jordan
Alice Wells.
Following is the text of Cardinal Sandri’s homily:
Your Excellency, S.E. Msgr. Alberto Ortega, Apostolic Nuncio in Jordan,
Reverend Father Custos, Fr. Francesco Patton,
Your Excellency, Mr. Ambassador of Italy to the Kingdom of Jordan,
Reverend Friars of the Custody of the Holy Land,
Distinguished Authorities,
Brothers and sisters in the Lord!
1. Yesterday evening, in the twilight of
the day, the doors of this Sanctuary were reopened, and so many of us
were able to contemplate the fruits of the labors of these years. Today
we celebrate the Eucharist and bless the new altar of this sanctuary.
Our thanksgiving rises to the Father of all mercies, and in the Holy
Spirit we can feel the embrace of the communion of saints: those who
heard the voice of God, believed his promise and set out along the Way.
These are the descendants of Abraham, our father in faith, through Moses
and the prophets, until the fullness of time, when God sent us his Son
Jesus Christ our Lord. It is He, Whom our brothers of the early
centuries followed and announced. This early church knew how to shine
with a diversity of gifts and traditions, without ever tearing the tunic
of Christ through schisms and scandalous divisions. Each tile of the
beautiful mosaics seems to echo the song of praise to the Lord of our
brothers and sisters: over the centuries, the light and the splendor of
their faith has been preserved, and nothing has been able to erase it,
neither the dust of centuries, nor the destruction of war. It was given
back to us through the skillful work of those who sought out and were
capable of hearing the song of this land and of these stones. We give
thanks for the faith of all of these people: men and women of the First
and the New Covenant, workers and pilgrims, such as Egeria and Peter the
Iberian, the friar archaeologists, especially Michele Piccirillo, and
also all the friars who have been praying here and continue to pray,
welcoming also, with a sincere look and a kindly word, all those who
climb this mountain in search of the meaning of history.
2. Pope Francis, in the Apostolic
Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium defines the believer, as essentially “one
who remembers” (13). Suggestively the Sanctuary bears the name: the
“Memorial of Moses”. The biblical tradition, of which Jesus himself was
well aware when he celebrated the Passover, teaches us that a memorial
is very different from a simple memory of a distant time that is no
more. As a witness of our day, Thomas Merton, has described it, a
memorial can be defined as “the ‘then’ that becomes ‘now’.” Caring for
this shrine means desiring to remain now, today, in that singular
experience that God granted to his servant Moses. Here it was that Moses
closed his eyes to the life of this world, but not before having
contemplated the fulfillment of the promise: the people would enter into
the land “flowing with milk and honey.” What are the characteristics of
the experience lived by Moses? Let the Word of God indicate them to
us.
3. The passage of Deuteronomy just
proclaimed described Moses as a great prophet, greater than all the
others, because “the Lord knew him face to face”, even before the great
wonders accomplished in the presence of Pharaoh. Seeing God face-to-face
means being the recipient of a singular divine grace: it was not Moses
who sought out the Lord, but rather it was God, Who found His servant
and made him hear His voice. Thus, Moses entered into the mystery of the
burning bush and became the guardian of the revelation of the living
God. Only this profound intimacy with the Lord enables Moses to be the
leader and guide of the people, and their powerful intercessor for
achieving salvation and victory. From these traits of Moses arises a
question for all of us who are consecrated ─ bishops, priests, and
friars of the Custody of the Holy Land: how mindful are we of the gaze
of God which has settled upon our lives? We pray today trough the
intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi: he was also able to change his
life’s course by heeding the voice of God, in a kind of experience of
the burning bush that we can recognize in the dialogue with the Crucifix
in San Damiano. Francis, too, like Moses, was an intercessor for the
renewal of the Church and for peace between peoples. We must remain, and
especially you, the “Friars of the Rope”, pilgrims ourselves,
journeying towards the Absolute, free of any desire for personal
achievement. Then, we will be able to accompany those who come here and
everywhere in the world, and be authoritative guides and generous
companions to mankind on the way. We could consider this trait of Moses
as the brightness of his calling and of his confidence in God.
4. Moses dies here, outside the land into
which the people enters. This is because he himself partook of their
sin, protesting against God on account of the unbelief, the complaints
and the distrust of those whom he had guided out of slavery to Pharaoh.
Even the guide, the Lord’s anointed, is wounded by the experience of
frailty and sin. We must have the courage to admit it and to call by
name the evil we find in our own heart and in the world. If, like Moses,
we stretch our gaze across the surrounding lands, we are reminded of
many divisions and counter-witnesses; of the conflicts that for decades
have set one people against another; of the cry of those fleeing war and
persecution in Syria and Iraq to find refuge in the country of Jordan.
Likewise, we recall the deafness of some those who hold the destiny of
peoples and nations in their hands, but prefer to preserve markets and
profits, instead of saving the innocent lives of women and children. We
cannot ignore the sin of those who blaspheme the name of God by using
violence against their fellow human beings. How deep is the mystery of
evil! The first step to defeating it is to let God conquer it in us and
for us! May this Shrine, which is being re-opened in the Holy Year of
Mercy, remain a place where pilgrims learn to be merciful through having
a concrete experience of it.
5. The foundation of hope and of the
victory of grace is given to us in Christ, who came “not to condemn the
world; but that the world might be saved through him.” We must raise our
eyes and fix them on the Crucified One, who has been lifted up from the
earth like the serpent of Moses, so that anyone who believes in Him may
have eternal life. In the light of the Risen One, by which all
Scripture should be read, the death of Moses is not a punishment and a
defeat, but as the attainment of fulfillment. We, with, Moses really
know that God is the God of life and of history, the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. One can be great without a sense of accomplishment, but
simply by reaching the threshold, like Moses on this mountain, and
remaining there in peace.
6. In the communion of the saints of
yesterday and today, may this sanctuary, O Lord, be a place to have a
living experience of You. You continue to call us to follow you, as
disciples and friends; you offer us the opportunity to witness to your
love and to your mercy, which overcomes sin and death, foreshadowing the
splendid fulfillment of your promise. We ask for this gift especially
for the younger generation of this beloved Middle East, that they might
be accompanied to the threshold of a life of peace in their countries.
May they know the peaceful coexistence of religions and cultures in a
reciprocal competition of charity, seeking to construct the common good.
May there be no more violence, oppression and denial of the basic
freedom to profess one’s faith. We ask these things with the trust and
docility of Mary’s heart, especially for the ecumenical journey among
the Churches. It was in the East that the major schisms took place; now,
in the same East the blood of Christians of all denominations is being
mixed. Along with Cardinal Martini, we ask ourselves: “What does it mean
today to be on Mount Nebo? We felt somewhat like Moses, who arrived on
the mountain after a long journey, but felt that the real journey
remained ahead; he did not travel it, and yet he rejoiced to think that
others would. Perhaps we will not see the hoped-for conclusion of the
ecumenical journey, the perfect attainment of unity. Still, someone else
will see it and this is our certainty, the certainty of Moses! “ Amen.