The solemn entrance to Bethlehem of Brother Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, lit lights of hope and confidence, despite the health and economic problems that afflict the entire Bethlehem area. On November 28th the Custos, following the rules of the "Status Quo", passed through the enormous iron door in the wall separating Jerusalem from Bethlehem, marking the beginning of the Christmas celebrations. The lack of the faithful was completely unusual, caused by the total closure measures imposed by the Palestinian Authority as part of a national plan to fight the spread of the Coronavirus. The participation was in fact allowed only to religious and civil authorities, including the Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquity, Rula Maaya. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "In dark moments, those of fatigue, of difficulty, we always seek the light from the Lord Jesus. We know very well that here in Bethlehem as in all the Holy Land at this moment the situation is difficult, it is so in the whole world because of the pandemic, but at this moment the birth of Jesus brings light into our lives, brings hope into our communities, and brings peace and joy to the whole world." During Vespers, immediately after the Solemn Entrance, Brother Francesco Patton lit the first Advent candle and in his speech said: “What feeds our hope is the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are called in Advent time to raise our demands and pray”. SUAD HANDAL Bethlehem "Despite the dramatic situation we are going through, we continue to desire to maintain hope and confidence in our lives. This is why we consider the time of Advent and birth as a time of hope and salvation: we ask the Lord that the coming period will be less difficult, and we pray for the disappearance of the pandemic from the whole world." The following day, the Parish of St. Catherine celebrated the Mass of the First Sunday of Advent and the feast of St. Catherine, presided over by the Custos of the Holy Land. Brother Rami Asakrieh, parish priest of Bethlehem, quoted in his homily the words of Pope Francis: “How do we live this sacred time? With the commitment to understand where the emptiness must be filled with the Lord, to break the mountains of hardness of heart and pride that prevent love, and to create larger spaces for the Lord Jesus”. Br RAMI ASAKRIEH, ofm Parish Priest of St. Catherine's Parish – Bethlehem "The Lord Jesus Christ has triumphed since his first day on earth: today we are living in a time when we have to put aside evil and sin, and we just have to trust in Him to overcome all difficulties, including plagues or wars, and everything that is scary." With the beginning of Advent, the eyes of Christians around the world turn to the city of Christmas, with the hope and confidence to come out of the swamps of anguish and pandemic, to celebrate the dawn of a new birth!