St. Bartolomew

The 2 Cecilias

Presided at morning Mass today. This week is my turn to preside. The job is called "hebdomedario" which has nothing to do with dromedaries ("camels") but comes from the greek word for seven or week "hepta". Anyway I official thanked Sr. Cecilia for her service at our chapel with the morning hymns and welcomed the new superior (also called Cecilia). Poor Sr. Cecilia was all emotional. You can imagine how she felt after 8 years here, having founded the 1st convent of PDDM sisters in the Holy Land. I gave her as a present 2 prutah or coins - the smallest denomination during the time of Christ ... remember Jesus praising the widow for giving her all i.e. 2 copper coins ("prutah")? She was very emotional but thankful. Anyway the 2 Cecilias just came to my office to pay me a visit: one to say goodbye again and the other to say hello. Well I'll be saying the Armenian Mass at their Basilica for this entire month so the new Cecilia had better get used to working with me.

The Empty Tomb is closed off
except for one little entry

Work in the Holy Sepulcher has been underway for some time now. To be exact, they are restoring the Empty Tomb. Stone by stone is removed, cleaned or replaced by newer/safer ones. Nothing to worry about ... they're not the original stones of the original Tomb. That was destroyed by Caliph Hakim in 1009. What we have today is only a Crusader replacement of the original. Temporary walls have been placed around the Empty Tomb for work to take place, which is during the night. During the day tourists and pilgrims can still visit the Tomb but only through a tiny door.

We had one piece of shocking news this morning in the Isareli media: Palestinian police entered Israel without permission and arrested 4 palestinians wanted for killing arab policemen. Shocking .... but actually Israel has been doing the same all the time! Israeli forces daily enter Palestine without permission and carry out raids and arrests. No one considers that shocking. http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/middle-east/israeli-palestinian-relations/pa-security-forces-carry-out-unapproved-arrest-in-east-jerusalem-23172

I'm still trying to arrange my work timetable so I can visit the allergy specialist. I'm scared. Not about the tests ... but how much it will cost. I have no insurance so it usually costs a lot ... if the doctors even want to see me.

Today is the feast of St. Bartolomew or Nathanael. His shrine is in Cana near Nazareth. We've been discussing the meaning of Jesus saying he saw Bartolomew sitting under the fig tree.