Yesterday

Yesterday I was utterly utterly exhausted. After a week of hard work in the garden and the rest of the house - cleaning up and throwing away lots of stuff - then lots of appointments, running from one part of the City to another; then there was the Liturgical celebrations (I'm hebdom).... everything took its toll yesterday. I returned from Terra Santa College literally half dead. It was past 5pm and my body just won't move anymore. Muscles and joints were aching. Asthma big time. And my brains just went blank. You know that feeling when your whole body just cannot go on anymore? So after feeding the canaries and wrapping it up against the cold wind, feeding the cat and tortoises, I went straight to bed. Oh I asked Matthew to take my place at Vespers as I didn't plan on going down for prayers or dinner. But the dean knocked on my door and told me I have to go down for dinner because our superior is going to give out our patron saints for the New year. Whew.

Managed to sleep for 45 minutes till 7.30pm, went down for dinner (we got some very nice sausages for dinner; then lots of panetonne) before the new year mission began. Fr Superior drew the names from a bag while the vicar Bro Rosario read out each of our patron saints for 2009, the virtue we must inculcate, the bible passage to meditate and a deceased friar to pray for. I was the last name to be drawn - thought they had forgotten me! So this is mine:

Patron saint: prophet Isaiah (feastday 9th May)
Virtue to inculcate: Disponibility
Bible passage: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" "Here I am," I said; "send me!" " (Isaiah 6:8)
Pray for: the souls of all deceased students and professors of our theological seminary

After that we cleaned up the refectory and I went straight back to bed.

Almost all the students and professors have returned from their vacation. School starts today - actually the exams. I'm doing some more reading and then it's back to bed. Too tired to continue anything. And Fr Arlon yesterday insisted on bringing me to the Nazareth hospital because I missed my last checkup. So I'll be going there with him on the 14th. Must fast for 10 hours as they're going to examine something or other about my blood suger.

While the ground troops have invaded Gaza and lots of casualties, here in Jerusalem there's quiet. Soldiers are still everywhere but people are trying to continue with life as usual. A humanitarian corridor has been opened in Gaza for aid and travel; and the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's sisters) were given the choice to leave Gaza but each one of them chose to stay back and be with the people. They are real heroes. They are very brave. Egypt is now involved in a truce-plan with France .... that means the fighting is going to end. Egypt's involvement is a good signal and I am sure the war will end in a week's time. Mind you, this war has not stopped pilgrims from coming! There's still lots of them here in Jerusalem!