Stabbing near home

Our street littered with stones, bottles
and garbage after the riot

While we were having lunch today, just 100 meters from our gate a Jordanian tourist stabbed an Israeli soldier. He entered Israel 2 days ago as a tourist and he did this. This is crazy. Early there were clashes in Nablus (Samaria) and one arab youth was shot dead by Israeli soldiers.  Last night as I came home late from work, there was a minor riot in our street: arab youths throwing garbage, stones and bottles at police who chased them. The street was quiet by then when I came home but there were lots of police in the street and signs of the violence was all too obvious. All these seem to prepare for Monday's Nakba Day .... I'm expecting some violence.  
 http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.788844

There's a touching story in the italian news about our Iraqi friar who was almost decapitated by ISIS by the killer could not cut his throat. He was released and returned to the Holy Land ... recounting the story to us, saying that he carried a relic of our Palestine saint Alphonsine Ghattas and was praying to her for protection when the killer raised the knife over his throat. The article is in italian.  https://it.aleteia.org/2017/05/12/jihadista-non-riuscire-uccidere-frate-francescano/

Newspapers around the world are also carrying news praising the filipino community in Israel that takes care of the elderly jews. It's the "invisible" community that does the work in Israel which is never appreciated. Even local newspapers write about it.  https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/magazine/israels-invisible-filipino-work-force.html?_r=0&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.algemeiner.com%2F2017%2F05%2F08%2Ffor-new-york-times-story-of-filipino-workers-in-israel-is-all-about-the-occupation%2F

Full moon in between the palms

This morning I had to celebrate Mass inside the Empty Tomb. Prayed for you all in there. The  it was work all morning till my body couldn't take it any more and I fell into a strange sleep ... very light-headed, very confused, like I was drugged. All I know was twice Buddy flew and sat on my shoulder as if to guard me. I was floating in and out of consciousness ... and Buddy just sat quietly on my shoulder till I woke up twice. Then he flew back to his perch. Still am asking myself what happened ... was I drugged? It was so strange. Or maybe I was so tired my body just switched off. Or maybe it's the full moon and a touch of lunacy ....