"Do not be afraid. I know you seek Jesus the crucified. He is not here. He is risen, as he said; come and see the place where he was buried". This event narrated in the Gospels happened in this very place, where the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre stands today, in Jerusalem. In this holy place life has risen, sadness has given way to joy, fear to hope, and we can thus proclaim that Christ lives, he is risen as he said. The Gloria is sung first, because Jerusalem is the only place in the world where the Easter Vigil is held in the morning and is therefore considered the 'mother of all vigils'. HB Mgr PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, ofm Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins "Here in Jerusalem we celebrate Easter Eve as it used to be, not on Saturday night but on Saturday morning, because this was the ancient tradition. The status quo has preserved it and we cannot change it. I also like to think that Jerusalem must be the first place in the world where Easter is celebrated and that it reaches the whole world from here, because the announcement of Easter starts from this empty tomb". Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins, presided over the celebration attended by Franciscans, religious and local Christians. In his homily he highlighted three verbs contained in the Gospel: the first is to buy. The women, witnesses of the Resurrection, had the "ability to resist pain, to go beyond apparent failure and not hesitate to spend money to buy what was necessary to honour Jesus". The second verb cited by the Patriarch is to see, pointing out that "in the Gospels there are no descriptions of the event of the Resurrection, but only the signs of it, the encounters with the witnesses and finally with the Risen Lord himself are shown. And lastly he refers to the verb to go, saying: "to see and bear witness to the Risen One it is necessary first of all to move". HB Mgr PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, ofm Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins "We have lived a year marked by fear, whereas today's Gospel tells us: 'do not be afraid'. Fear with all its links, death, paralysis, everything standing still. But today's Gospel tells us to look ahead, Easter is a proclamation of joy, the presence of love, of hope in our midst. We must have confidence that despite everything, Christ has conquered the world and we with him". In this symbolically rich celebration, the fire was blessed in front of the anointing stone and a cross was engraved on the Paschal candle. Then the candle was lit with the flame taken from the Holy Sepulchre, illuminating the candles of all participants. In the Liturgy of the Word, seven readings from the Old Testament were read, alternating with the responsorial psalm and prayer. The Gospel was proclaimed in front of the wayside shrine, the site of Jesus' empty tomb. Finally, there was the blessing of water, followed by the renewal of baptismal promises and the sprinkling of holy water. At the end of the celebration, all the Christians of Jerusalem can testify that Christ lives, He is risen, hallelujah!