Christmas

Our sanctuary today

Blessed Christmas to you. Celebrations everywhere in our Holy Land region especially in Bethlehem and Shepherds' Field. From local and foreign reports, there was a record-breaking crowd at Bethlehem last night. Even our Indian sisters who hold tickets to enter the Basilica were left outside in the Plaza, watching the Mass from a large screen. Streets were all closed off and people had to walk for a kilometre or more to get into the Basilica area. Almost everyone form our house who went to Bethlehem last night cam home after 3am. Luckily our superior has changed our conventual Mass at 8am so everyone could get sufficient sleep.

Sumptious desserts today

My Christmas was spent in bed. My fever and bronchitis is still quite severe. Hardly slept 3 hours last night due to the coughing, wheezing and pain. It's not been very cheery .... this Christmas ... for me. I wish I were healthier but I'm just the opposite: breathless and hardly able to walk a distance. I celebrated Mass alone at 6am because my coughing spasm would have disturbed the conventual Mass. For breakfast I had a piece of panettone with black coffee ... traditional Christmas food. Then I rested in bed till lunchtime. You really believe that? I cleaned my room, watered the garden, prepared the distribution of donations for the poor in Bethlehem. But I did all that slowly because I get blackouts easily and don't want to break my head when I fall down. Anyway lunch was lovely as we had the traditional lamb which I like very much. Then we had the sumptuous desserts made by the Sisters of Ivrea where we say daily Mass in an arab village north of the Old City.

Well tomorrow is Boxing Day and the MC sisters in Bethlehem are asking me to go over for Mass. I need to bring over donations of clothes and food but because I can't carry and walk 1 km uphill to their convent due to my bronchitis ... I don't know how I'm going to get there and back. More stress.