Shepherd of canaries?!

Yesterday I was busy with so many things (at the computer) - reading, writing, translating... I had no time for my thesis. Found Matthew slogging his qualification paper in the library. He came up to my room and said he had a terrible headache and couldn't study ...... good because i didn't do anything on thesis either! That makes us equal! I suggested going to the Holy Sepulchre and he said maybe at midnight. Though I've been trying to join in the Lenten rigours of Jerusalem, I never got round to it; so last night was my last chance. The midnight Office of Readings, processions and Mass ends before Passion Week begins. Giovanni Loche was egging me to go. So I cooked some rice with lap cheong, ate it at 6.30pm, slept at 8.30pm and woke up at 10.30pm. Went to the Holy Sepulchre with Matthew. Helped prepare the benches and booklets. The crowd of Russian Orthodox pilgrims was incredible. They were everywhere.

Anyway the friars came in procession with the Custos. The bells were ringing - really loud because midnight was so quiet around here. The sound was so beautiful - I couldn't help thinking "That is a Catholic sound!" The Catholic crowd was impressive - lots of young people. Whoever thinks the Church is dying, look again! I was so impressed by these young people from around the world, seriously and silently praying...intensely. They're the John Paul generation of Catholics. That Pope really touched many young lives - he should be a saint. So we sang the entire Office (3 psalms, one Old Testament reading and one reading from St Augustine), then there was Lauds (2 psalms, 1 canticle, a New Testament reading, intercessions and the Benedictus) followed by the fantastic candlelight procession around the Tomb of Christ. When it all ended, The Custos celebrated Mass on Mt Calvary (1.30am) but there were so many priests concelebrating I couldn't join in. Meanwhile Matthew had gone home halfway through the Office because he needed to get up early to go on excursion to Taybe (biblical Ephraim where Jesus hid for some time cf John's Gospel). Our black/white sisters were all present, as were nearly every other nun in Jerusalem! They stayed back for the Custos' Mass. I went home. It was good to see the Custos again, though we couldn't talk to each other. And finally I met William again. haven't seen him for over 3 months. He was back in Lebanon but when he got back, he never came over to say hi.

Got back at 2am, tried to sleep and at 4.30am, got up and went to the Holy Sepulchre again to celebrate Mass. We had to setup the Mary Magdalene altar for solemn Mass at 8am. So practically I had 4 hrs of sleep, 2 hrs before 10.30pm and 2 hrs after 2am. That's how rigorous Lent is for us! It's just prayers and prayers. And why not? All the pomp, all the candlelights and organ music ...... fantastic, one of a kind ..... because it all happened HERE! The Passion, the burial, the Resurrection. Nowhere else in the world can celebrate the Passion like in Jerusalem.

On my way back from Mass (7am), I stopped at the Ethiopic Orthodox Church to hear a bit of their Mass - beautiful, haunting chanting in a very ancient language. Then I stopped to buy some apple buns at the 8th Station - something I hadn't done for almost 3 months. Got back home and some guys were already having breakfast. Chatted, ate, fed the birds (Fr Ravanelli our emeritus professor was announcing "Lionello, the birds are waiting!" - somehow I'm getting the title "shepherd of the canaries"). So now I'm thoroughly exhausted and want to rest a little before I start my work (Matthew's not home today, so I can catch up! Typical Singaporean Kia-su, right?)

And today's readngs all focus on Jesus as the Light. St Paul says in the 2nd reading "Be children of light!" You guys are so lucky never to have blackouts. Try and remember when was the last time you had a blackout in HK or S'pore .... like you can't right? Well here blackouts, like I told you in the last few blogs, occur all the time during winter. And when that happens, light becomes such a precious commodity. You can't possibly imagine what it means to have light until you live in total darkness. Be children of light! Light is clear, transparent, no hidden agendas, no secrets. Try living that kind of life - it's the life of baptism, it's the resurrected life.