Feast of John the Baptist

St. Paul's hill with fences

It's a rare Sunday when the Feast of John the Baptist supersedes. Many people went to the birthplace of John the Baptist in Ein Kerem for solemn Mass and prayers. The churches in the Old City were pretty quiet. My Mass at the Armenian Catholic Cathedral was quite empty except for a slovak couple and 2 portuguese couples. Well after the Mass I had to rush down the Kidron valley to Gethsemani to preach and after that rush up 2.5 km to New Gate for a meeting. Stayed there to work till 4pm then rushed down the hill back to Gethsemani to preach the afternoon talk, then rushed up the 2.5 km again to New Gate to hand in several documents. In all, I traversed 12 km up and down a very very steep hill. My heart almost gave way and my feet are swollen. When I go home, the sisters ask me why is everyone else on summer vacation and I am working double instead .....

Anyway for four times a day this whole week I have to pass by St. Paul's Hill. That's the place where St. Paul (Saul before his conversion) stood and watched while Stephen was stoned to death. I have to walk down the Valley and then up to it to get home ... and I rarely want to look up as it gets terribly disheartening in the 32 degree heat. But this morning I noticed the muslims were putting a fence around it. I never knew it belonged to the muslims ... but obviously they do.

Preparing for the
Light Festival

There's been some tensions in the northern border when Syria sent a drone toward Israel, and the Israeli army fired it down. In Gaza in the south, 3 gazans were injured as protests continue and fire-kites sent into Israel. There's no easing of these border tensions. We're just hoping that it doesn't escalate.

Meantime the PM has vowed to push ahead with the bill for compulsory minimum conscription of ultra-orthodox jews to the army. The ultra-orthodox coalition members will surely pull out of the govt. and we'll expect elections. But then again .... the ultra-orthodox will just force the abortion of the bill. After all they are all powerful in this country.

But right now I'm not caring about anything ... I just need to sleep. I am so so so tired.