JERUSALEM (CWNews.com) - On Saturday, March 25, Pope John Paul II celebrated the feast of the Annunciation with a Mass in the basilica built on the spot in Nazareth where the Virgin Mary received the word that she would be the mother of Christ.
John Paul had carefully timed his trip to the Holy Land so that he could spent this day at the Basilica of the Annunciation. That church, which receives 1 million Christian pilgrims every year, has been the focus of controversy in recent months, because a Muslim activist group has announced plans to build a large mosque on a spot adjacent to the basilica.
Nazareth has the heaviest Arabic concentration of any city in Israel, and because Muslim influence is heavy and tensions are high, the Holy Father traveled through the streets in his Popemobile under heavy security. But there were no incidents, and in fact the crowds were large and friendly.
Arriving at the basilica-- a 20th-century structure, built on the ruins of an ancient sanctuary-- the Pope went immediately to the lower story, to the crypt that is recognized as the place where the Annunciation actually took place. There he knelt on the ground and kissed the spot where a Latin inscription relates that the Incarnation occurred: "Verbum caro hic factum est"-- "Here the Word became flesh." Then the Pontiff moved to a prie-dieu that had been set in the crypt for him, and remained for some moments in silent prayer, with his head in his trembling hands.
After that private prayer, the Pope celebrated Mass in the Latin rite (the most common rite for the Christians of Nazareth). In his homily he spoke of the joy he felt at visiting the site of the Annunciation. "Today, the eyes of the whole Church are turned toward Nazareth," he reminded the Christians of that Galilean town. And he spoke of how the Virgin Mary, like the patriarch Abraham, had willingly served the will of God, helping to carry out the divine plan.
Next the Pope offered petitions to Mary, asking her for "a great renewal of the faith of all the sons of the Church." He continued: "At Nazareth, where Jesus began his public ministry, I ask Mary to help the Church always to preach the Good News to the poor, as he himself did." He asked the Blessed Virgin "to teach us the way of humble and joyful obedience" that she herself embodies.
Immediately after this homily, the congregation joined the Pope in the recitation of the Nicene Creed. Upon reaching the words "the Word was made flesh," the Pope moved-- with unusual agility-- to kneel down, again recalling the Incarnation in his prayer. And at the conclusion of the Mass, he led in the Angelus, again recalling the words spoken by the angel Gabriel to Mary.
After the ceremony, Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem asked the Pope's blessing on the "common pastoral plan" approved by the bishops of the Holy Land at their synod. That synod, which began in 1995 and concluded just one month ago in Bethlehem, called for renewed cooperation among Catholics of the different rites represented in the Holy Land.
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update