March 2023 – From Friday, March 24th to Sunday, March 26th, 2023, the communities and friends of the Focolare in the Holy Land gathered in Jericho to experience three days of meeting in preparation for Easter. The participants, about 160 of all ages, came from various locations: Bethlehem, Gaza, Jerusalem, Haifa, Jenin, Nazareth, Ramallah, etc.
The central points of the program were: the Eucharist, the Word and sharing. On this basis, the mornings were devoted to visiting significant sites in Jericho due to their historical and spiritual value: the sycamore tree and the house of Zacchaeus, the Mount of Temptation and the Place of Jesus' Baptism at the Jordan River. Each visit was preceded by moments of in-depth reflections of the Gospel texts related to the respective places. In the afternoons we shared moments of recollection so as to respond, like Zacchaeus, to Jesus' invitation, “…come down at once, for today I must stay at your house” (Lk 19:5), and to welcome him into our “home.”
Each day was enriched by moments of sharing and prayer with priests and religious who, with their experiences and testimonies, made a significant and much valued contribution.
We are happy and grateful to God for this experience, which took place despite various challenges and suspensions due to the uncertain political situation. One of the participants shared, “I realized the strength of living as one family, of sharing and giving love, of caring for others, as well as the strength of praying together.”