Advent

Yesterday was pretty much a slow day. My chest was still aching from the asthma so I didn't feel up to anything. But Jadallah called me to say he wants to bring me to Salahaddin Street with the car so that I can buy a table - so I thought I'd better grab this chance. It's not everyday that he's free and able to use the car just for me. Well I ordered 2 small cabinets (about 2 feet high and one and a half feet wide) with locks so I can keep my passports. Till now I hide them in a ....... (not telling you! my secret!!) but I always forget where I hid them, and fear sometimes when I throw rubbish out, I might also throw them away .... ooopps let the cat out of the bag!!! Anyway bought also two wicker baskets to keep my laundry and toiletries. The shop owner wanted 120 shekels (HK$240) each which was outright cut-throat. We bargained till it reached 80 shekels each. Is that expensive by HK standards?

Ate an early dinner and slept by 7pm. Well, I did some reading and got a chapter from a book photocopied. Too restless not to do anything.

Got up at 4am this morning and prepared to go to the Holy Sepulchre. Felt a little warm, so I put on less clothes and wore sandles. When i reached the courtyard, found out that it was raining - big time! Thunder and lightening. Funny I never heard anything from my room. It probably rained the whole night because places around looked flooded. Anyway I was too lazy to climb up 4 floors and change to thicker clothes, so putting on my hood (Capuche), I hurried through the Way of the Cross up to the Holy Sepulchre where Stations 9 to 14 are housed. Was pretty wet and cold by then. But felt pretty good because it kept coming to my head that today is Advent - preparation for Christmas! The first day of the new liturgical year.

I celebrated Mass at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel then prayed the Office for Advent. Some other franciscan sisters were also praying the Office, and the Holy Sepulchre community was chanting it in their choir. I don't join them because they chant in latin. Solemn Mass had just ended at the Tomb and the crowds were dispersing. Bro Cristoforo, cantor for the Holy Sepulchre asked me if I had a relic of Fr Allegra to give him. He knew Fr Allegra when Allegra was in Jerusalem teaching from 1972-1973. In fact Cristoforo is also archivist of the Custody and has alot information on Allegra in the Holyland. We found out that Allegra was in the Holyland on a certain year but this was never recorded in his chronology in preparation for his beatification. Strange! No one seems to know of this, but the records clearly show his signature in several Sanctuary guestbooks where he celebrated Mass. We're looking deeper into this mystery. Was there bi-location involved?

Advent again - a new year. The dark sky and cold, wet weather is so theatrical and dramatic in setting the stage for the season. We read from the Mass readings and the Office (that's a series of psalms, Bible passages and readings from the fathers of the Church) that God is coming; humans in their weakness are incapable of saving themselves from themselves so God is going to intervene. But when? How? Advent tries to answer these questions by preparing us for that great moment when God's Son, invisible and eternal, took on flesh that is visible and destructible, to live among us - in Bethlehem, in a manger, one winter night, cold, wet, like today.