Of sunsets

Evil cat wants to eat Buddy

We're still reeling from the Jewish Nation-State declaration. Everyone is talking about it, worrying if we will be allowed to stay, whether we will lose our churches and freedom of worship. It is very worrisome and we're not hiding our fears. 2 million arab israelis might now lose their citizenship. Maybe they will get residency permits but certainly not regain citizenship, even if they were born in Israel. Those living in the West Bank fear they will lose their properties and lands because the Nation-State law approves the creation of all-jewish only neighborhoods in any place. There are no boundaries and frontiers to this law so we're not sure how far it can go. We need details, explanations ... but looks like many things are still unclear; like who decides who is a jew? or where are the boundaries of this nation-state?

In the midst of all these unanswered questions and anxiety, tensions remain low in the Old City. I guess the arabs here have lost hope in anything ... they were the losers in 1968 and have lived as losers till this day. The law  doesn't make them any lower than they are now. The sun is always setting for them ... it's a twilight zone.

I had a lovely lunch at our little Last Supper Room monastery. That's the place next to the actual Last Supper Room which was once our mother house in the Holy Land but the Ottomans occupied it in th 16th century and kicked us out ... and now the State of Israel has taken it over. We still hold the title deeds and are contesting restitution of the sacred  place to us as it was there that the Eucharist was instituted, the priesthood, confession and confirmation were all instituted, where the Church was born. Anyway until we get back our monastery, we have built a small monastery abutting it and call it the little Last Supper Room.

Sunset at Jaffa

Anyway back to the story ... the superior of that monastery invited me to lunch so I went along. It was totally renovated ... very beautiful and simple ... and very bright with new skylights installed. And the lunch was simple and good for Friday. No lentil soup here ... there was vegetable soup with steamed fish. Fabulous. Since most of the seminarians (4 live there) have returned for summer vacation to their homelands, there were only 3 of us for lunch. It was a lovely fraternal hour. I liked it. I might just go back there next Friday for lunch again.

I just found the photo of an evil cat who stalked outside my window in Jaffa3 days ago. He was snarling and spitting and tried everything to get into my room and eat Buddy and Chilli. I hate cats.