All Souls Day

"We remember those who have gone before marked with the sign of faith" - words from the Eucharistic Prayer. And so we turn our memories back to those who in some way or other have touched our lives; the big and little people who crossed our paths. And moreover, we spend time to reflect on how we touched their lives and how their eternal destiny was in a small way shaped by our encounter.

Our morning Mass was celebrated for family and relatives. The second Mass is optional and we'll see if anyone else wants to celebrate it later in the morning. Evening Vespers will be combined with the 3rd Mass and we will remember friends, benefactors and all whom we have encountered in this life - that we may share the next life in joy and peace eternally.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord .



Meanwhile we cannot forget the killing of Catholics in Baghdad ... yes I'm haunted by this because this is the reality that we here live day after day. The news and images of death is the topic of our talk and thoughts. The whole attempt to save them was botched; a total disaster. Today the survivors are gathering the pieces of their life. The Church staggers onto another day. For the rest of the world, it's yesterday's news headline, shafted to the archives, buried in the corners of collective memory.
http://insidethemiddleeast.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/01/baghdad-church-attack-the-day-after/ 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11668634

Yesterday evening a huge rally took place in the Mamilla area of the New City. The surveillance helicopter was hovering overhead till almost 9.30pm because some 10,000 uni. students were protesting that the govt. is giving stipends to Yeshiva students (Jewish theological schools who seldom pay taxes and serve in the army) but not to university students (who pay taxes and serve in the army). Let's see the outcome. http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Article.aspx?id=193580 

And a general strike was averted this morning. It would have paralysed the country as the Histadrut (trade union) had called for industrial action across the social and economic board.