Magnanimous

Finally relief is being brought into Gaza. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7745783.stm

Yesterday the Japanese martyrs were beatified in Nagasaki. The reporter says the Japanese persecution of Christians in the 16th century were more violent than any other persecution faced by the Church. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7745307.stm

And this evening we'll all go to St. Saviour's monastery to celebrate the memory of Fr Piccirillo. Even today many of us find it difficult that he is no longer with us. We speak often of him, in fact only the day before Ephrem told me he cannot imagine Fr Piccirillo is gone. And so did Carmelo on a different occassion yesterday.

And Fr Vincenzo from Musky (Cairo) has arrived in Jerusalem and we spoke for quite a while yesterday morning. He thanks all of you for your kind help; he is now using your donations to "adopt" 5 children to go to school and feed the other hungry children in the area. I'll get a photo of him uploaded.

Meantime yesterday's gospel reading was interesting - it spoke of the widow who gave her all (2 copper coins) as the temple offering. But try and read this in context. A few verses earlier, Jesus chided the scribes for robbing the widows. Just imagine that this widow had her property devoured by these scribes, and being left with just 2 copper coins, she still offered it up to God. Now that is magnanimity - no holds barred. How do you measure to that?