‘The tomb is empty, but the place is full’
Bishop celebrates Mass for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Bishop celebrates Mass for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre
On Feb. 10, Bishop Raica celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul for the local members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The complete text of the bishop’s homily follows herein.
On Feb. 10, Bishop Raica celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul for the local members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The complete text of the bishop’s homily follows herein.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, King Solomon gives voice today to a question that still humbles the Church: “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?” The heavens cannot contain Him—and yet God chooses to draw near, to listen, to dwell among His people. Our faith lives in that mystery: the God Who is beyond all things is also wonderfully present.
Those who have visited the Holy Land know this not as an abstraction, but as an experience. God’s presence is palpable—in the synagogues where the Torah is revered and the Covenant cherished; in our churches, par excellence in the Holy Eucharist, where Christ remains with us sacramentally; and most powerfully at the Holy Sepulcher itself.
As Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem, reminds us so simply and profoundly: “The source and origin of our hope is here at the Holy Sepulcher with Jesus, the Risen Lord.” The tomb is empty, but the place is full. It is full of hope, full of meaning, full of the living Christ Who continues to guide His Church today.
This is why the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher matters. It is not about titles or tradition alone. Our Lord warns us against empty observance in today’s Gospel. Rather it is about living fidelity, prayer joined to service, and a watchful love for the Church and peoples of the Holy Land.
The Cardinal also reminds us of a truth that echoes Solomon’s awe: “God does not wait for history to improve before entering into it.” God enters history as it is marked by struggle, longing, and hope. He entered it with Moses, with Abraham, with David, with Solomon. He does so decisively in Jerusalem, in the Cross, and in the Resurrection. He does so today – in our world, in the Middle East, in the messiness of our lives. He doesn’t wait. He comes into the midst of it all, saying, “I’m here, the One you’ve been waiting for!”
On this feast of St. Scholastica, who delighted in speaking of God with her brother Benedict, we are reminded that holiness grows where God’s presence is welcomed and cherished. May we, through this order, continue to recognize Christ living among us, living in the Holy Land in a privileged way, and living in His Church today. And may all that we do give honor and glory to the God Who truly dwells with His people. Amen.
