Bethlehem visit

Doctoral defense today

Today Fr. Biju, our carmelite student, defended his doctoral thesis, thus concluding 5 years of research. It's quite a relief after all that hard work ... and the defense took 2 hours. Biju was always in the library everyday studying. I was happy for him that his work is now accepted and he was awarded the doctorate. The commission of 4 professors questioned him and evaluated his work. And some of his friends and classmates came to support him.

Eucharistic adoration at Milk Grotto

Earlier in the morning I made a quick visit to Bethlehem. Went to the Basilica of the Nativity and Milk Grotto and prayed for you all. The weather was hot. So hot the cloistered nuns who adore the Blessed Sacrament 24 hours at the Milk Grotto changed to white simple habits without the veil or wimple but only a hood. The places were not as crowded with tourists as like the past few months ... the heat probably drove tourists away. I also made a detour to the southern desert to visit the Mar Saba monastery ... a beautiful sight hanging on a cliff over the Kidron Valley.

Desert road to Mar Saba monastery

Tensions continue to break out in the outer borders of the country. Yesterday Gazan incendiary bombs ignited fires along the southern border. Most of the wild fires due to the heatwave are under control but these motivated arson will wreck havoc in the southern farmlands. Many people in the streets are guessing a war will soon break out ... not major but big enough to scare people into voting the PM back to office. He had lost his coalition govt last month and a new general election has been declared for September.

Meantime the courts upheld the sale of church property to jews in the Old City. The former Greek Orthodox patriarch had sold 2 hotels at the entrance of Jaffa Gate and a building in the muslim Quarter to jews but the Greek Church had gone to court to challenge the sale. The patriarch was deposed by the Greek synod of bishops. However yesterday the court upheld the sales. So now we have lost 3 major properties in the Christian Quarter. The greed for money has always plagued the Orthodox church. The money for the sales had been transferred by the patriarch to Greece for his own family.  https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/jerusalem/jerusalem-court-sides-with-ateret-cohanim-vs-greek-church-on-3-purchases/2019/06/10/?fbclid=IwAR2Vk4G8Gv6T1YlE2U8HaBQYCCt-xBtHeQEwbp9AP_9n5j5w7ZNZrEwpR0U