Last Sunday

Today is the last Sunday of the liturgical year before Advent begins. Next Sunday is Christ the King feast which signals the transition between the old year to the new Christmas. A couple of shops have already opened selling Christmas stuff. I think I have to buy some stuff as gifts to the chinese religious nuns and priests studying here in Jerusalem. As I'm the oldest in terms of age and residency in the Holy Land and also in profession of vows, I have to be the big brother of this community. That means organising monthly gatherings, retreats, activities ... and giving them presents on Christmas and the Chinese New Year. That's a tough job adding to my already tight schedule of work and classes. Still it must be done ... to encourage these younger religious to persevere in a culture totally different from Asia.

Durian candies

One of our former students, Sr. Nimfa from the Philippines, brought a group of pilgrims to the Holy Land last week. It was good to see her again. And yes I have to be big brother to her too ... helping her organise lodging, celebrating Masses, applying for her license to guide/animate pilgrims (quite a bureaucratic process). Anyway she brought some durian candies for me. Nice of her. It's an alternative to having the real thing itself. I shared them with the MC sisters.

The skies are overcast all day. I had to go out and buy some spices for our Indian sisters working in our kitchen. It was a good 5 km walk there and back ... there meaning the asian grocery. It was very hot and I wore only a T-shirt. But indoors it feels chilly. I've warned our students that on Wednesday the temp will fall to 7 degrees. Everyone is now bringing out their winter clothes and bedding.

Well the new week begins and we'll see what it'll bring in terms of war and peace. Everyone here is glittery over the situation in Lebanon.