We are on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. On its southern summit is the place where, according to tradition, 40 days after his Resurrection, Jesus' Ascension took place. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus ascended to heaven before his disciples, "A cloud enveloped him so that their eyes could no longer see him." The first church was built here in 378 to commemorate this event, then destroyed and later rebuilt by the Crusaders, who wanted to keep the initial architecture, an octagonal structure. After the defeat of the Crusaders by the army of Sultan Saladin in 1187, this place became the property of the Muslims. Every year Franciscans, local Christians and pilgrims celebrate the solemnity of Jesus' Ascension here. Traditionally, the celebrations begin on Wednesday afternoon with the solemn entrance of the Franciscans, the recitation of Vespers, and the procession that circles the Ascension site three times. After the night vigil, Eucharistic celebrations continue throughout the night. Br AQUILINO CASTILLO, ofm Director of the Holy Land Center in Madrid "We wanted to celebrate by giving more dignity to the place. We received donations from Madrid, from the Holy Land Center, and we were able to buy wonderful fabrics that were sewn and prepared at the custodial tailor's shop. So we gave more brightness to this celebration that is so special in Jerusalem." On the morning of Thursday, the day on which the Church in Jerusalem celebrates the Ascension, a solemn Mass was held, presided over by Br. Dobromir Jasztal, Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land. In his homily, he spoke of the Ascension as the "concluding moment of Jesus' earthly story, his passage from the historical dimension to the dimension that surpasses history, his passage from history to glory." Br DOBROMIR JASZTAL, ofm Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land "The Ascension is the handing over of the work of redemption to the disciples: everything Jesus did, everything he taught, is handed over to the disciples. The disciples then and the disciples now are handed over the work of redemption carried out by Jesus that must be communicated to every brother we meet." DONATELLA BOUILLON Italy "For the first time I was able to participate here in the celebrations on Ascension Day. Yesterday was very beautiful: we began the Vespers prayer, and the Islamic prayer began at the same time. Only here in Jerusalem can we understand that God is one and that we all love the same God and can live in peace in his name." Read More