25th Ordinary Sunday

Fresh fruit on sale
in Musrara

Another day of relative calm. Life is as usual. Shops open, kids go to school, people go to work. Thank goodness all the drama is over. Fresh fruit and vegetables are available again ... in a flourish of colour.

On the other hand, I've been having a series of stressful moments since yesterday. Visiting religious want this and that ... free of charge ... meaning I have to buy it for them. Then a last minute desperate appeal from the sisters at the 3rd Station of the Cross (which is an Armenian Catholic cathedral) for Sunday Mass as their priest is in Amman. So this morning I had to rush over  and celebrate the Mass. Poor Sr. Gabriela was all alone to prepare the cathedral as all the other 3 sisters are away. The seminarians from the White Fathers came for Mass as did several other people. Together with the regulars, it made up quite a crowd. There was even an Armenian acolyte to serve my Mass. With only Sr. Gabriela left in the choir, it looked like the Mass would be a disaster ... but luckily I know several parts of the liturgy in Armenian so I could help sing. Pretty impressive I must say.

I have an ingrown toenail and my big toe is massively swollen now. Can hardly walk. But another stress ... a visiting chinese sister is "asking" me to bring her around the Old City for a visit. My poor foot.