On Friday 1 September, as the sun started to set over the Dead Sea and the Promised Land, the sound of the bells called about one hundred faithful to the Mass on Mount Nebo (Jordan) for the celebration of St Moses (4 September).
The Mass in the basilica
The celebration has returned to the basilica, after the years of Covid. It was presided over by the Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan, Mons. Jamal Daibes. Alongside him, there was fra Bernard, the guardian of the Franciscan community of Moiunt Nebo, and three priests from the nearby communities of Madaba and Ma’in.
Moses and the promises of God
For 90 years, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land have continued to be the custodians of the place where, according to tradition, Moses contemplated the Promised Land without being able to enter it. His figure is still venerated today by Jews, Muslims and Christians. The sanctuary, from where on clear evenings the view ranges from Jericho to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, welcomes believers of the three religions every day. It is a privileged observatory of the promise of life that God made to Moses and all the believers who came after him. “Moses was a Prophet, he saw beyond,” Mons. Daibes said. “When he saw the Promised Land in front of him he did not see only land, but he saw all the promises of God. He was not able to enter the Promised Land. The promises were accomplished in Jesus Christ. He is the one who always leads us into the Promised Land, into the Kingdom of God.”
Marinella Bandini
