We ascend the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives and approach the Shrine of Bethphage, where every year the celebrations of Holy Week open on Palm Sunday. It was from here, in fact, according to the Gospels' telling, that Jesus, with the disciples, made his humble entry into Jerusalem. MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage We find the first mention of this place in the travel account of the pilgrim Egeria, who tells us of the existence, as far back as the fourth century, of a chapel erected where Jesus met with Martha and Mary upon the death of Lazarus. We have no other news until the year 785, when a pilgrim named Bernard writes, "I came to Bethphage and saw the stone, this one which is behind here, where Jesus sat and which he used to get on the donkey." This means, Brother Manuel explains, that the early Christians of the mother church in Jerusalem also wanted to confirm the historical existence of Jesus through the faithful location of the events narrated in the Gospel because they understood their importance and religious significance. Bethphage was a strategic village along the road to Jerusalem, but also a toponym connected by Scripture to messianic prophecy. It is therefore very likely that Jesus passed through here and sat on this stone as he awaited the arrival of the colt. MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage In the Middle Ages, the arrival of the Crusaders in Jerusalem brings about a major change in the layout of the area dedicated to the memory of these events. After laying siege to the city and devastating the Islamic and Jewish holy sites, the Crusaders set to work on redesigning its defensive line. They decide to build a fortification, on the Mount of Olives, starting from the site where the Ascension shrine stands today, but then curiously they stop when they arrive at Bethphage. Why? Because of the tenacious and faithful tradition of the local church regarding the importance of this area, evidenced also by the presence of the remains of an early Christian church with a circular plan. On the reasons for this, historians disagree, but it is certain that the Crusaders stopped the manufacture of fortifications when they arrived at Bethphage, and instead erected a small church, the remains of which can still be found under the shrine today, thus ensuring the continuity of the tradition. As for the stele we see enshrined inside, it narrates in pictorial images (as was in use in the Middle Ages) the episodes of the resurrection of Lazarus and the disciples with palms cheering Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage However, by the end of the 14th century, we know from the tell of a Spanish pilgrim, Brother Jeronimo of Merida, that the village of Bethphage as such no longer existed and that the church had been destroyed again. Despite these ups and downs of demolition, the pilgrims remained faithful to the custom of observing in their journey all the stages handed down by the early Christians, as we know from reports in 1560 by Frederick of Guzman, who followed the same route, and the Marquis of Tarifa. The procession of the Palms that we do at the beginning of Holy Week originates precisely from this spiritual stop of the ancient pilgrims on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. In 1647, a friar told how the Custos, all the Franciscans and local Christians, with palms in hand, came down, praying together, from Bethphage, and the Custos proceeded on a donkey, representing Christ. MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage The Palm Sunday procession therefore is very old. We know that during Islamic rule, the Muslim governor did not always grant permission for it to take place, until once, in a time of terrible drought, the friars prayed in procession for rain, and that happened. Since then permission has never been denied. While the memory of the site had always been preserved, instead the remains of the Crusader church remained buried until the 19th century, when a local farmer, while plowing his field, accidentally found the frescoed rock. The farmer immediately went to inform the Orthodox nuns of the nearby Russian monastery, but they did not give his words much credit. The Franciscans, on the other hand, having learned of the event, immediately became interested in recovering and restoring the area. Excavations were entrusted to a French archaeologist who studied the site and the finds. Finally, in 1883, the Custody was granted permission to build the new shrine. It was then decided to commission the project from Architect Barluzzi, who built the church in 1954, as we see it today. The shrine is a pilgrimage destination for many tourists, mainly Spanish, but the current situation has blocked their arrival. MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage Pilgrims come here because they like the church and feel welcome. I usually welcome them because I speak Spanish and can lead the spiritual tour of the shrine. We have experienced very good times. Today, however, we have the sad memory of October 7. A group of Slovak pilgrims was visiting that day when sirens sounded announcing the bombing. We ran to the shelters and in search of news to find out what was happening. From that moment on, three or four days later, the flow of pilgrims ended. None at all. And then the feeling of fear, insecurity. There had already been the Covid period, which was also very difficult, with no groups and everything closed. And now we are experiencing this situation again. "From the heart I can say that it is great suffering, and not because of the economic damage. No. It is the suffering for those who dreamed of visiting the places of salvation and already had everything ready to come, like the travel ticket. This land wants to experience peace, but cannot meet its path. These are hard times and everything remains closed." Brother Manuel explains that these days the only presence in the shrine is the local community of Christians living in the houses built by the Custody. The Christians gather three times a week to pray the rosary for peace. MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage Here we celebrate Mass on Sundays, we celebrated Christmas and all the other feasts. Every Thursday, after the rosary, there is exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and now in Lent we pray the Stations of the Cross. We have a good relationship with Christians in the area and we share insecurity, lack of resources and other things. But we find here this mysterious force that unites us as Christians. Even though a wall surrounds our sanctuary with no pilgrims, we know that there is a group of Christians out here who lend a hand and when we need them we can count on them. This is very important. Brother Manolo holds out hope that the pilgrims can return slowly, that the situation can normalize and the conflict will end as soon as possible. MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage I was very impressed by what Pope Francis said, "the only strength of the Christian on this earth is prayer." And that is how we are living in these months. Therefore it is this prayer that is opening for us the path of Hope, because the commissioners are already beginning to organize future pilgrimages. Thus human history, made up of ups and downs, war and peace, joy and sorrow, is united with the life of Christ, who after dying in Jerusalem, lives his Passover and descends to the depths of the Earth to save humanity from its fall MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage "At Bethphage we experience Jesus' humanity and can wonder what he was thinking in his heart when he already knew of his passion and here he stopped with his disciples and then climbed on the donkey bringing prophecy to fulfillment. The entry into Jerusalem began right here." MANOLO DOMÍNGUEZ LAMA, ofm Welcoming pilgrims - Shrine of Bethphage For me it is very important to say that here Jesus had already made the decision and it is curious to think of the three stones. This one: where he mounts the donkey to go to Jerusalem; the stone of Gethsemane where Christ agrees to drink the cup of passion by doing the Father's will; and the stone of Resurrection where God restores Jesus' life forever.