Thanks

Received with thanks from Raymond & Alice for masses in the Holyland. Also thanks to Katherine Wong and Catherine Chan for the useful things.

Dreadful night

Early this morning our visiting professor Giuseppe Ligato was due to return to Italy. I promised to help with his luggage though I really can't do much. But luckily I did .... because the car he booked to bring him to the airport didn't show up. The car was booked at 2am but we waited till 3am. He started panicking as his flight is at 6am and it takes an hour to get to the airport and the security interrogation requires 3 hours advance. So I finally suggested he take a normal taxi as it's his only hope to get to the airport on time ... but the drivers wanted almost US$100 for the trip. We lugged his 4 luggage up to Damascus Gate. The streets along the way were brightly lit and arab men were dotted in corners and shops - they open all night because it's the legit time to eat. Soldiers and police were everywhere of course. A couple of soldiers saw us, questioned us and then said "no taxi huh?" with a smirk. Well anyway the important thing is Giuseppe got to the airport. I was panting badly because of the fluid in my lungs. I can hardly walk far without getting winded.

Besides that event, most of the night was a horrific nightmare .... the workers are still working at night at the Omariyya school opposite. The noise from the stone cutting machine and the tractors that come in and out to remove debris is incredible. And the searchlight is still aimed at my face. Needless to say I slept zero. Had to preside the Mass at 6.30am because I'm the hebdomadarius. The rest of the morning was one restless effort to study. And I'm not the only bothered by the sound ... most of the others living here were also kept awake by it. This morning you could see everyone with rings round their eyes (those who got up that is!)

To make up for the bad night's sleep, our assistant cook Nadia made ktayyef!!!!! yeahhhhhh!!!! I had three .... actually I meant to eat one but got a cheese ktayyef instead of a walnut ktayyef. After two other tries, I found the walnut one. Delicious!!!! Later in the afternoon, Marco who's finishing his Licentiate thesis, bought carobi (the syrup from carob pods). It was really good mixed with cold water. Very refreshing.

Yesterday Sinead the secretary of our secretary made her final profession of vows in Prague (don't ask why) and I promised I'd pray for her at the Holy Sepulchre. Walked up there but was so winded I couldn't come back till 2 hours after. Am really feeling sick. The cook panicked when he saw me and quickly cooked white rice (that's what italians eat when they're sick! don't ask why!) for the past 4 meals for me. By the way 18 people have died of swine flu here but no one is taking precautions.

More riots

My goodness! New riots by the ultra-orthodox here in Jerusalem. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1110855.html and http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251145144319&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull I happened to be near the New Gate and saw hundreds of ultra-orthodox Jews shouting at cars that passed by, some even jumping onto the roads to stop cars ...... it's the Sabbath and driving cars is prohibited. This new level of violence is alarming, and the internal fighting between secular and religious Jews is deepening.

Ktayyef

For the past 3 nights, the Omariyya school opposite is having workers work overnight to renovate parts of the ancient school - ancient like 2000 years old ... it was once the Antonia Fortress where Peter, John and later Paul was arrested when they preached in the Temple. Anyway the work meant they needed bright lights and so the enormous searchlights were turned on throughout the night ... right into my face. And the work is pretty noisy - cutting stones, drilling etec.... No wonder I haven't slept well. And to top that, my asthma is really really bad. Like I said, it's because of the buildup of fluids in my lungs.

On the bright side, the muslim quarter here is very lively because of the carnival atmosphere of Ramadan .... in the nights that is. I had a taste of ktayyef yesterday ... shared half with Sister Elene, a syrian FMM sister who's celebrating her feastday. She's been in Israel for over 50 years (she's in her 70s) and I've known her since 1992 when I first came. Ktayyef rocks!!!!! You should try one! Pancakes wrapped with walnuts cooked in honey. Yummy.

tense

As expected, problems in the Old City began when muslims gathered in their thousands to enter the Al Aksa Mosque= to be exact 90,000. Five arabs were arrested for attacking an Israeli police. Thousands of others have been turn away because the age limit to enter has risen - 50 yrs for men, 45 yrs for women. Before this year, women of any age could enter the mosque. This age limit is imposed by the Israeli security with the idea that any young muslim is a potential trouble maker inside the mosque that can turn into full-scale riots. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251145141017&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Right now helicopters are flying overhead. I can hear lots of shouting and noise but don't know what it is about - and I don't intend to go out and find out!

Feast of St Augustine

Today is the first Friday of Ramadan. Last night the streets were packed with muslims shopping and going to the Al-Aksa mosque for night prayers. Military security has been stepped up as expected: soldiers everywhere, but generally the mood was friendly and the soldiers were chatting and laughing with the local folk. This morning helicopters kept flying over the Al-Aksa and Dome of the Rock. It;s making the place pretty tense as we do not know why it's around. Anyway we heard that the soldiers are going to bar muslim men under 45 yrs to enter the Al-Aksa and Dome of the Rock today, something they've been doing for the past years. It'll definitely cause tension and those barred from entering will hold demonstrations at all the mosque gates as well as Damascus Gate, blocking traffic. This year we also noted a change - even young girls like 10 yrs old must wear the covering from head to toe in order to enter the mosque. This was not practiced in the previous years and shows a swing towards conservatism.

But for us, today s the feast of St. Augustine. He became a great saint but only after years of his mother St. Monica crying for his conversion. Her feastday was yesterday. It shows how family influence children's religious education is important.

Feastday

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary - according to the Orthodox calendar. After the Muslim calls to prayer ended, a procession from the Tomb of Mary down in the Kidron Valley slowly made its way up pass our monastery through the Way of the Cross to the Holy Sepulchre. The 4 kawas (dragomans or Turkish guards) banged their maces on the ground and you could hear it miles away, warning people to make way for the procession. Then lots of pilgrims marched, followed at the back by the clergy, the bishop carrying the icon of Mary reputed to be painted by St. Luke. Hymns were sung, flowers strewn along the streets that were brightly lit by the Ramadan lights. All this took place at 5am.

My diarrhea is slowly getting better as I drink boiled water. Still have periodic runs though. Have to get back to study now.

Feast of St Bartholomew

The fire in Athens is frightening - it's reached the suburbs of Agios Stefanos. And BBC showed nuns fighting the fires with branches and mops .... it was a terrible sight, the monastery was slowly being engulfed by the fires and the bells kept ringing for help - the first time in 1000 years.

The release of the Lockerbie bomber from the Scotland to Libya has caused uproar and support from both sides. The emergency session of the Scottish parliament is being broadcast and the minister MacAskill (Catholic) quoted Archbishop Mario Conti (Glasgow) saying that showing compassion is not showing weakness. I was brought back to think of the text in the Book of Wisdom 11 and 12 which states that God did not punish the enemies of Israel because he is weak but because he is all-powerful : power is not shown by ireful vengeance but greater power is shown by exercising compassion. However the release may be viewed, I must say MacAskill's conscience to show mercy and compassion is in line with the Bible teaching. We must not be tyrannical despots who demonstrate power through vengeance but to reflect God's power by showing compassion. But people still thirst for vengeance, eye-for-eye or even beyond: leg+arm+eye for eye; extract blood from stone; a pound of flesh.

This morning at 4am I heard the drumming and calls of the "wakers" - those who walk around the Muslim Quarter to wake people to eat before the fast begins. Almost immediately the minerets are filled resounding calls to wake up and pray. An hour later the canon is fired to announce the start of the fast at 5am. We on the otherhand celebrate the Feast of St Bartholomew also called Nathanael from Cana in Galilee. The poor man was searching for the Messiah but had grandiose ideas of him; he could not accept that the Messiah could be a lowly carpenter from Nazareth, once again the idea of power with grandiosity. Jesus showed that true messianic power is through humility ... humble even up on the cross.

Another Sunday

The streets in the muslim quarter are so clean and brightly lit - for once I don't have to use the torchlight to walk up to the 7th Station in order to get to the Holy Sepulchre. The streets are already filled with muslims at 5am going to the mosque to pray. And of course Israeli soldiers are at every corner keeping watch. As a sign of sensitivity to the muslim fast, those of us living here in the muslim quarter avoid eating or drinking in the streets. Even Israeli soldiers are told to be sensitive to this and not eat or smoke in front of muslims. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418671236&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

And how about this - the traditional arab headscarf is now being made in China!!!!!! Yes I saw the tags..... they're made in China!!! Local arab women now have no weaving jobs to do so they start making Jewish skullcaps instead!!!!!! http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1109463.html

Well I haven't told you this but I've been suffering from diarrhea for the past week and have lost quite some weight. The sisters of Mother Teresa were quite worried and they started cooking meals for me - white rice and veggies - to make sure I'm eating. Unfortunately it's not helping. I think it's due to drinking too much water. In this heat you need to drink alot, but water left out in room temperature breeds lots of bacteria and I think that's the cause of my diarrhea. It's always safer drinking coke or pepsi or sprite. Hahaha. Do you know the fizzy drinks are so corrosive we use it to soak ancient coins (in archaeology) to get rid of patina (oxidisation of bronze or copper)?

Ramadan begins

Yesterday evening at 4.42pm three loud canon shots announced the beginning of Ramadan - the muslim fasting month. The canon is on the hill just outside Herod's Gate which is directly behind where we stay (200 metres). That meant the muslims had to fast till sunset, which was just an hour later: at 5.52pm when another canon shot announced the breaking of the fast.

At 3am several boys with big drums create a racket to wake everyone up to eat before the fast begins with prayers at 4.15am and another canon shot. While we get very little sleep during these 30 days, I must say the best arabic cakes are made during this time and sold when the fast is broken every evening. There's my all time favourite Ktayyef which is walnuts and cheese wrapped in pancakes cooked in honey. Definitely a no-no for diabetics.

The streets are filled with carts selling things (mostly from China) and it's pretty festive. Lots of beautiful fruit - peaches, plums, mangoes, cactus, grapes ..... all taste good when refrigerated. Everyone is dressed their best - long sleeves and all despite the 32 degree heat.

But as Ramadan goes on outisde the monastery walls, in here life i still the same ...... study study study.

Meteors?

The asthma attacks have been getting worse the last few nights. But last night was ok. I used the puff every two hours throughout the night and had a cup of hot water to drink, and that reduced the attacks. Actually it's more a problem of fluids accumulating in the lungs. I'm drowning in the fluids as it builds up and blocks air from entering. And I can hear the gurgling and swishing of the fluids that I cannot cough out. It's frightening. Anyway like I said, last night was alot better.

Meantime two nights ago when the attack was particularly bad, I decided to walk up on the terrace because movement helps the fluids be expelled. I looked up at the night sky (1am) and saw the constellations. Then I saw a triangular formation of very bright lights moving northeast to south west. I thought it was a flock of cranes - but then again cranes don't fly at 1am and they don't shine. Weird. Then the triangular formation moved just beyond the Dome of the Rock mosque and all the lights scattered in all directions and disappeared. Now what was THAT about???????

I told the rest of the community during lunch the next day and everyone came up with their own theories. Flocks of birds were definitely ruled out. The most common response was I saw UFOs.... which of course doesn't bode well as everyone will think my asthma has led me to illusions. Next answer was Israeli military exercise .... which is more probable. But I'd really like to think that I saw meteors (everyone discounted that theory because the formation movement leading to a scattering is not meteor-like) because I missed them last week. Well I guess it'll remain a mystery.

Health article

Here's an interesting health article sent by a friend. I can't verify if it's true as I'm not a doctor, but it's interesting information nonetheless.

The top five cancer-causing foods are:

1. Hot dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer
Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a
month.
If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrates.

2. Processed meats and bacon
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and
other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease.
The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble.
First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils,
then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams, may be the
worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and
then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing
acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be
called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams.

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies
All are usually made with white flour and sugar.
Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

1. No Breakfast

People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood
sugar level.
This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain
causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in
mental power.

3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.


4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and
nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep
will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon
dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that
may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in
effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain
stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain

The main causes of liver damage are:
1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and
artificial sweetener.
7 Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce
cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking
oils like olive oil.
Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8... Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts.
Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more.We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to
'schedule.'

more problems

The tension is so thick in the Old City you can cut it with a knife. Police and soldiers everywhere inside Damascus Gate. Found out that the Jewish occupants of a house changed the lock of a next door mosque so the muslims could not enter to pray this morning - almost ended in a riot. Still is thick with police there. People in the streets are saying if the Jewish occupants don't rechange the lock or give the key, this Friday will be "big trouble".

Then I saw a dead body being carried into a van. It was directly in front of the Ecce Homo convent about 100 metres from the spot mentioned above. There was a crowd and as I had to pass it, I saw a body wrapped up and being put inside the van. I don't even want to know what happened.

And not only is my Internet blocked, now even my video-conferencing is blocked. Nothing is working out ..... everything is a disaster.

computer woes

For the past few days my computer was ravaged with problems: couldn't connect to the Internet, engineers came and couldn't solve the problem., then found my emails blocked or lost, ... the list goes on. It's unbelievable.

Back here in the house, the talk is about Usain Bolt and his record-breaking 100m run. Everyone seems to have their own theories about how he won; but why not accept the simple fact that he trained and pushed himself to the limits? See what determination and hardwork can result? It's about believing that you're more than what you are; that the impossible is only a fingertip away. Se vuoi, puoi (in italian - if you want to, you can). Now if only I can convince my computer this.

Aches and pains

The mosquito bites are getting worse - big blotches on the legs and arms. And to make things worse, I've developed rashes on elbows and knees. I think it's heat rashes, or a reaction to the bites but whatever. It's terribly irritating and itchy. Got some gel from the pharmacy to relieve the pain and itch. Can't say it' working. Neither does Mopiko.

The Muslim Quarter where I live is preparing for Ramadan. Lights are hanging on all the streets, Ramadan cakes and food are being sold in the shops, music blaring everywhere, fireworks every night, everyone in their best clothes .... and Ramadan hasn't even started! Anytime this week Mecca will declare the new moon and Ramadan will officially begin.

I was thinking of going out to take some photos of this Ramadan preparation, but the left ankle and knee are giving me so much trouble I can't even climb up the stairs without pain. So I'm staying in my room. Must be the humidity because Fr Eugenio also has bad pains on his back causing him to limp, and Fr Loffreda needs to lean on a walking stick because his knees also hurt bad. Old age has caught up.

I think when Ramadan begins, our weekly Friday Way of the Cross will be cancelled so as to avoid unnecessary tensions and clashes.

Sad week in Israel

Talk about violence. This week there's been an unsettling rise of it here in Israel. The shooting of Islamic extremists by Hamas; rioting by the ultra-orthodox yesterday. Now get a load of these: Body parts found floating in the Alexander River http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107727.html; a beach goer gets beaten to death http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107646.html; two soldiers killed in 36 hours during training ; a General of an elite corp gets robbed of his gun and credit cards under tight security http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107748.html ....... morale and pride in Israel is low right now http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107728.html Hopefully the coming New Year and Yom Kippur will change things around.

Assumption Day

More rioting regarding the carpark opening on the Sabbath. The ultra-orthodox Jews came out by the hundreds to protest, as they have done for the past two months. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107662.html

Today is Assumption Day. Solemn Mass was celebrated at the Tomb of Mary in the Garden of Gethsemani. The Custos presided. Later at 4pm solemn vespers was sung. I went instead to the Holy Sepulchre for the daily procession. And yes I prayed for you all. It is always such a new experience each time I come to the procession. Singing the hymns and praying the prayers at each altar recalling the Passion and Resurrection .... especially when the word "here" is always used ... it all happened "here"... it's very unique. And today thoughts of you guys were very profound. Said a prayer for you all when Fr Gabriel raised the Sacred Host for benediction, that Christ who resurrected here will bless you all.

Mandaens

Here's a CNN video clip on the Mandaens in Iraq baptising themselves in the River Tigris. They are a very ancient religious sect (gnostic), who consider John the Baptist to be the greatest prophet.

Attack

Yesterday's deadly attack by Hamas on a radical Islamic group inside a mosque in Gaza on Friday is reverberating throughout the country. The group had declared Gaza an Islamic Emirate, and Hamas started this crackdown to prevent it's lost of control of authority. I think 30 people died inside the mosque. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8202746.stm

Hopefully this fight inside Gaza will not spill out to the rest of the country, as Ramadan begins next week and all groups will be congregating at the Dome of the Rock for Friday prayers.

Day of Fast

The two chief rabbis of Israel have called for a day of fasting to drive out swine flu - an unusual step. They attribute the swine flu to the sins committed by everyone. Those who cannot fast a full day should fast half a day or keep a day of silence. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107636.html

With over 2000 cases and 7 dead, Israel is taking the epidemic seriously.

Meteors

Did you see the meteor shower? It was supposed to be at its best 2 nights ago but some of our guys went out in the early morning and only saw one or two. Last night I got up 3 times to see whatever but there were too many clouds that blocked the view.

Ramadan is anytime now - depending on the new moon - the streets are all prepared with lights, Damascus gate is all decorated, shops and houses are being washed and cleaned. Muslims are coming into the Old City in droves from the West Bank; Israeli restrictions are more relaxed these days but I think they'll tighten it when the Jewish New Year begins in Sept.

My ankle is less painful now that I try not to go out. But the mosquitoes are killers. Will have to clean out my room and fumigate otherwise more mozzies will come tonight.

Mermaid in Haifa

By the way, if you haven't heard : ther's a mermaid living in the sea off Haifa (northern Israel). The municipality is offering US$1 million to anyone who can prove it exists. Apparently people living in Kiryat Yam have seen it and vouch for its existance. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1107034.html Haifa is a modern port city with its famous Bahai Gardens. It was here that the prophet Elijah stayed for a while and where the Carmelites have their huge monastery.

More swine flu

After an aweful asthma attack last night, I could only grab a couple of hours of sleep at 4am and woke up at 7am. It's really exhausting. But luckily the cool breeze blows at about that time so it's nice ..... but of course the muezzin also starts singing at that time so ...... catch 22 situation.

This morning after some work I was feeling pretty weak probably due to lack of sleep and also I hadn't eaten since yesterday evening. No wonder I was feeling weak and dizzy. But I had to go to the pharmacy to buy anti-mosquito cream because I'm being eaten alive by mosquitoes here. Luckily our janitor had to go to the Post Office which is near the pharmacy (1km away from my house) so he drove me up ... was feeling to weak to walk. On the way back, we stopped and he got me a baguette shwarma which i gulped down. Now I'm feeling alittle stronger.

Here in Israel, swine flu is making people panic. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418593926&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull We have almost 2000 cases now. And 5 dead.

Our Mass readings on the Torah ended yesterday when the death of Moses was recounted. The readings now continue through some interesting passages from the prophets. Go read them!

Defeating swine flu 2

BBC has posted the video of 50 rabbis and mystics on the plane praying for the defeat of the swine flu in Israel - watch one even speaking on the phone to God (something done back in 1994 or 95 also ... and remember it worked!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8196807.stm

Defeating swine flu

Powerful (creative) way to stop swine flu - a group of rabbis hired a plane, flew around Israel praying and blowing the shofar (ram's horn) to cast away the swine flu. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1106794.html Sounds like Jesus casting the legion of demons into 2000 swine that drowned in the Sea of Tiberias.

You think it's funny? I remember back in 1994(5?) when there was a terrible drought here and all 3 religions had rituals to pray for rain (Jews fasted and went to the Wailing Wall to pray, Muslims fasted and went to the Dome of the Rock's "Supplication for rain" pulpit to pray, and we christians fasted and went to pray on Mt Calvary for rain) - and a group of rabbis took a plane that flew all round Israel, crying and praying for rain ..... and when the plane landed.... it started raining! See the power of prayer up on a plane? Now if airlines are quick to pick up this line and offer special flights for prayer to overcome the economic crisis, they'll ride over the same economic crisis on a crest and solve all their problems!

All gone

What a waste! Medicine that you had kindly sent to me was stopped by the Customs here and they decided the quantity was too large for personal use and have decided to destroy them. The guy from the Tax office called me - he was pretty nice and asked me to speak with the director if they could change their minds; but when I called the director, he said he's not in the office and is away on vacation but when he heard it was my case, he said there's nothing to discuss, all the medicines must be destroyed unless I agree to pay a commercial tax. Well i can't afford that, so it as to be destroyed. If I didn't agree to that, I will be charged an amount everyday until I agree to release the medicines for destruction.

So a word to you guys - thanks for your help but if you decide to send me anything, please do so in small amounts (medicines must not be more than 2 packs) otherwise this will happen again.

Congratulations Massimo & Stefania

Was out at the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Mass this morning at 4.30am. Had some special intentions to pray. It was cool and breezy. Lots of clouds today so it remained cool the rest of the day. Perfect weather for a wedding.

And what a wedding! Massimo and Stefania finally tied the knot ... here in Jerusalem! They're italians who live in HK but wanted to marry here in the Holyland. Their families also came over from Italy for the simple but beautiful event. Yours truly was instrumental in arranging everything for them here ... from documentation to finding a choir. And what a choir! I got the franciscan Magnificat choir to sing and they were fabulous - the rendition of Ave Maria by soloist was unforgettable! And of course the location of St Anne's Church was perfect - acoustically and photogenically. This 12th century Crusader Church next door to my monastery lies on the spot where Christ healed a paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda. And the bride was beautiful in a two piece white and silver cheongsam-inspired gown with elaborate frog buttons. The groom was in a chinese suit of ivory serge with frog buttons. Other guests dressed in similar theme. I arranged for Fr Bissoli to preside at the Mass as he's Veronese, close to the region where Massimo and Stefania come from. Mass lasted from 12pm to 1.30pm. Then we went to lunch at 2pm.

Lunch was at Nafoura Restaurent, up on the western hill of the Old City next to the Latin Patriarch's Palace. Lovely food of arabic salads, chicken, lamb, rice and kebabs on a open grill; followed by arabic sweets and fruit. Lots of wine but I prefer the house lemonade which is pretty famous for those in the know. And the happy couple gave me a 10 kg basket of italian goodies - salamis, cheeses and lots of different jams, spreads and sauces. I had to carry this home (1 km) and it was pretty tough as my ankle was already hurting. Now both arms are hurting! They're lovely gifts and Massimo/Stefania are so kind ... but those food are off my strict diet (otherwise I'll die: that's what the docs tell me) so I'll share them with the poor of Mother Theresa's sisters.

The bride and groom's parents were very happy and appreciative of my arrangements for the wedding. Everything went smoothly. Massimo and Stefania promised that when they have a baby, they'll bring it here to Jerusalem for it's baptism - and this time I must preside!

Transfiguration feast

OK some time since I last updated the blog. Busy? YES. I was up on Mt. Tabor for the feast of the Transfiguration. Left on Wednesday morning and stayed over till Thursday evening. It's a 2 hour drive from Jerusalem. The view up there is tremendously beautiful - the plains of Jezreel below and further north are the mountains of Nazareth; and south lie the mountains of Samaria.

Crowds of Bedouin Catholics have camped up on our church grounds for the past 3 days. They've done this for over 100 years, some men telling me their grandparents use to bring them here to camp over for the feast of the Transfiguration when they were kids. It's part of the local tradition here (since Peter couldn't pitch 3 tents here!!!) when the friars from Nazareth used to lead the local Christians in pilgrimage to Mt. Tabor for the feast of the Transfiguration during the Ottoman days when the Turks forbade us to build a monastery and church up on the mountain. All they could do was build tents and stayed overnight.

Anyway the mountain top was filled with local arab christians. They camped, barbequed and sang right through 3 nights. You can imagine how little sleep we had. On the vigil of the feast, at 11pm the Melkites (arab byzantine catholics) marched up the mountain and celebrate Mass in the grotto of the Transfiguration till 2am. Lots and lots of youths! Over 200 or so marched through the night to get here. Then later at 4am the latin catholics marched up the mountain to celebrate Mass till 7am. Less youths and more adults. I heard confessions till almost midnight. And I remembered everyone of you as I prayed right through midnight up on this holy mountain. Got up at 6am to help Fra Benito the sacristan to clear up the church (they burnt alot of candles inside the church) and move some 200 chairs for the solemn Mass at 10.30am. Other friars from Nazareth also came to help. It was good work and the upper altar (the one above the grotto) was beautifully decorated for the Custos to preside the mass. But the heat and humidity didn't help and I was dripping wet under the habit after moving 100 chairs or so.

The Custos presided officially, meaning he got to wear the bishop's mitre even though he's not a bishop. Extremely inpressive. Some 30 priests came for the concelebration. The Mass was all in arabic and it was beautiful. After that the guys from Mondo X prepared a fantastic banquet for 500 people. It took them 3 days to do it, and baked a massive cake over a metre long! Those guys are fantastic! I got to see some of their chores - like farming along the slopes of Mt Tabor, raising chickens and turkeys!!! Mondo X is an institute founded by franciscan Brother Eligio in Milan for detoxifying drug users solely through prayer and work. it's got an 80% success rate and is now over 40 yrs old. Here in the Holyland, they manage our Casa Nova hostel on Mt Tabor as well as the kitchen and a small shop. Those guys are really great and have been asking me to stay over for a couple of days so we can talk, but I never had the time nor the car to get there. This time we had a little more time to talk. But I promised I'll be back a little longer with them. The Custos made me promise! He really cares for these guys who're undergoing through alot in the detox programme. And I can tell you from my friendship with them these 7 years, they're some of the most sincere people I know. Transfiguration for them means alot more than to you and I.

Well after the Mass I had little time to eat as I had to help clear up the church, and lots of local christians wanted to chat ... which took up alot of time. Anyway the Mondo X guys were watching out for me and kept pulling me aside to give me a drink or a bite to eat. I was dead hungry. And some of the campers were very kind too, they kept giving me cups of coffee they were brewing over the camp fire and asking me to join them .... chatting that is. I got to practice my arabic with them and it was fun as our pronunciations are quite different - they have the northern Nazareth dialect and I pronounce the Jerusalem dialect.

Got home that evening with the Custos in his private car - like WOW!!!! Not a daily privilege i can tell you!!! It's got diplomatic immunity and we passed the check points without being stopped. When I reached home I was so tired I slept right through till next morning ... with an asthma attack in between.

OK so have been resting since cos my ankle is really bad and now my right knee as well. Could be due to the humidity of Mt Tabor. Walking down our staircase is a killer. But I have to go to the library to get books, or feed the canaries so I must go downstairs. It's no fun.

Today is the feast of St Dominic and the dominicans of Ecole Biblique are having a great feast. Don't know if anyone from our house went to represent us.

Now I have to get back to work. Study study study even during summer hols ... sounds like some of you kids out there.

Pain but no gain

Last night was alot cooler. I realised I get up at night not only because of the heat but mostly because of the pain coming from the pinched nerve on my right arm. That's the main cause of my sleepless nights .... and the muezzin who "sings" full blast at 0.30pm, 4am and 4.30am. These few nights the muezzin has been "extravagent".

And more about pain, the ankle yesterday evening was hurting so bad I couldn't walk. Someone had to help me back to my room after dinner so the pain became really bad. Might have to resort to painkillers now. Will stay in bed or at least keep walking to a minimum now.

The forceful eviction of the two Palestinian families is still drawing attention in the media, with the leftwing paper HaAretz condemning it. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1105316.html Not that it's going to be any use. Ambassador Oren's answer to the US http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1105309.html is a bottomless pandora's box; to suggest that the land was Jewish before the State of Israel was founded can be countered by the fact that before the Israelites entered the Land, the Jebusites were living here in the 12th century BC, and this can go back in an endless argument. And that's why archaeology is such a political science here in Israel... every dig is to prove or disprove who lived in the Land first.

Tensions

Tensions are rising again in Jerusalem. Police and soldeirs everywhere - probably anticipating a riot by the ultra-orthodox because the "taleban mum" was charged this morning; or maybe today begins Fatah's first COngress in Bethlehem; but more probably because Sunday morning saw the forceful eviction of two Palestinian families from homes which were almost immediately taken up by Jewish settlers - it's in the quarter of Sheikh Jarrah less than a km. from Damascus Gate, right next to the American Colony hotel and very close to the Olive Tree hotel. It's a place we all know well. The St Joseph's Hospital is further up the hill. It was a horrific scene with the families' furniture thrown out onto the streets. Such violent eviction has even drawn condemnation from Israel's rightwing newspaper = http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249275681082&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull And international condemnation was sounded, though not too loudly http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1104949.html and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8180743.stm but I think this is a true test case to see how toothless the international community is in the face of Israel's policies. Haven't they learnt? Israel answers to no one except God who gave the Promised Land? East Jerusalem will be occupied by Jews in the next 8 years, and even probably ultra-orthodoxed.

And here's a very loud secular Zionist article against the ultra-orthodoxising of Israel - it paints a pretty scary picture http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1105066.html

I'm staying put at home because my left ankle is playing up again - all wrapped up still in an ankle guard. The pain can be quite sharp when I put my weight on it, so the best bet is stay in bed. Thank goodness my bleeding nose stopped. Maybe it's because I've been lying down alot.

Anyway it's back to studying again.

Cucumbers, melons, onions and leeks

It's been another very hot day ... and night. Hardly anyone could sleep well. And the muezzin last night gave a extra long chant on the minaret that woke everyone. Fireworks go on till midnight every night ... weddings. I think it's because Ramadan is coming soon and people need to marry before the fasting begins.

My ankle is in wraps most of the time now - it's constantly swollen and painful. Am using the ankle-guards and am trying my best not to walk too much. Mind you, I must have lost quite some weight because all my pants are alot more loose; and the dean who just got back from Italy yesterday asked if I was sick because he noticed the weight I lost.

Did some work and reading ... not easy with the heat and sweat ... and headache.

Anyway if you noticed the Mass readings, it's moving into the Book of Numbers with the story of the wanderings in the desert ... and all the complains about food. Funny but I would have thought they'd complain about the heat, like me here. So they want cucumbers, melons, onions and leeks .... in short they preferred food to freedom. Isn't it so typical of people today - to have the temporary luxury instead of longterm advantage? Cucumbers, onions, melons and leeks cannot substitute eternal life.

Thanks

Thanks to the following for their generous support for various causes here in the Holyland:
Yvonne Tsui, Mabel and Barnabas, Jeannie So, Irene Wong, Lee Hoi Sau, Vancouver Community and Paul Ng.

Sad future

For the past few weeks we've seen the acts of hatred between Orthodox and Secular jews through riots and attacks in the streets. Yesterday night we saw more of such hatred when a gunman machine-gunned a gay community centre in Tel Aviv killing 2. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1104624.html Someone said sadly that if they're not killing palestinians, then they're killing each other. It's very sad that Israeli society is heading this way of violence and disunity. The PM's words "I tell the Israeli people: We are a democratic country, we are a country of tolerance, a country of laws, and we must respect any person, whoever and wherever he is," ( http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1104611.html and http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1248277947062&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull ) must be backed up with real action, not just for Israelis but all who live in the Holyland, including Christians. I'm not sure if you know about the israeli couple's attack in the Nazareth basilica of the Annunciation 3 years ago http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/001740.html and http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/art.php?aid=37176 (NOT firecrackers but bombs and incendiaries) and then the Catholic hero who defended the basilica was sent to jail while the perpetrators were released!!! http://www.imemc.org/article/55118

In memoriam

This week I remember my two good friends Daniel Cavero and James Lee who entered God's kingdom ... and many others this year and the last ... Karen Cheng, Sr Josephine, David Jeaffreson, Fr. Piccirillo, Fr. Theobald Diederich, my students Anita, Dominic and others who have gone so suddenly. It's been a flood of memories this week that kept crossing my mind day and night. I cannot forget them. To them, I offer a Mass tomorrow for their peace and eternal rest. And dedicate the most beautiful song ever composed - the Intermezzo from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana ... the song I want played at my own funeral.

Thanks from Musky

OK so here's the clarification regarding the photo of the Musky children having a great time at the beach. Fr Vincenzo says the monastery organised this summer outing for 45 of the poorest children that come to our monastery. The entire outing was made possible through the donations from Hong Kong - that's you guys! Fr Vincenzo and the kids thank you all!

August 1st

The temperature dropped alittle last night and it was easier to sleep for all of us .... except for the fireworks that went on till midnight. Several were fired next to our house and they were loud.

The canaries have stopped producing fertile eggs so we're talking about putting them all back into the large cage. In total 7 babies survived, one escaped. Over 15 others died due to neglect. Fr Dobromir, our former superior, stopped over to see them in the afternoon.

Did some reading up but my headache (probably due to heat) was a big block. I'll see if I'm up to it to go to the Holy Sepulchre this evening and tomorrow morning to pray for you guys.