New Year 2

Pomegranate season

It's the jewish New Year today ... the country came to a standstill. At least on the western side of Jerusalem. All shops and offices closed, no public transport. But in the east, life goes on as usual. Religious jews have been congregating by the thousands to the Wailing Wall since dawn. Security was equally high in and around the Old City. Shofars (ram's horn) were blown and will continue to be blown by jews throughout the next weeks till Sukkoth (feast of booths). In fact the Bible never calls the New Year "Rosh haShanah" but the "Feast of trumpeting" (blowing the horn). The pomegranate is the traditional symbol of the New Year ... firstly because it ripens at this time, and secondly it's many seeds symbolise the abundance of good things that will come in the New Year.

I on the other hand was busy preaching the retreat to the MC nuns and bringing them around the Old City to visit the Holy Sites. This afternoon we visited the foot of the Mt. of Olives. That included the Sanctuary of the Stoning of St. Stephan, the Tomb of the BVM (Assumption site), the Grotto of the Betrayal (Judas's kiss) and the garden of Gethsemane.

Adoration at the hermitage chapel

The superior there was kind enough to let us enter the Hermitage behind the Basilica. We spent an hour and a half in eucharistic adoration plus an hour of lecture in the Hermitage Chapel. It was a great experience for all of us. There's still another week of this retreat, then another retreat for 8 days and then another retreat for another 8 days. It's all back-to-back. I will be very very exhausted by Sept. 30th.