Olive harvest

Yesterday's Gospel reading was very interesting. It's very short and mentioned the names of women who followed Jesus and helped him in his preaching tours. It may not appear to amount to anything, but when you see the whole picture it actually is part of a longer narrative - 4 in fact regarding women. Beginning with the Widow of Naim in Chapter 7, it then goes to the sinful woman who wiped Jesus' feet with her hair, then our passage about the women who helped Jesus and finally the mention of Jesus' mother who "hears the Word of God and does it." Intersperssed are stories of the male disciples who fail to understand Jesus' teaching. It appears that this series of passages on the women disciples show their active and important role in Jesus' mission, culminating in the role of Mary the listerner and doer of God's Word.

The olive harvest began yesterday and 4 of the friars went to Capernaum. Because of my leg, I did not go. But I might join in the harvest in Gethsemani later next week. Right now I'm resting the leg because it's been hurting quite abit.

William our Lebanese seminarian called me from Rome. We had lost contact throughout the summer holidays when he returned to Lebanon. It was good to speak with him again. His companions Ziad and Jihad are also doing well. They'll start studies soon in Rome at our university "Antonianum" near the Lateran basilica. Hope they'll study hard and graduate.

Now we're waiting for a new sister to come and take the place of Sr. Justyna. The Salesians inaugurated their new school year today. They have 49 seminarians - that's alot!