Injured

Sunrise today

I sprained my lower back yesterday. Excruciating pain. Being Tuesday, our elderly cook Nadia works alone so I try to help her lay the lunch table. However she placed the bowls of salad and fruit on the lower shelf of the food cart and when I bent over to carry them out, I must have pulled a muscle or slipped a disc on my lower back. I've been in bed since then ... it's especially painful when I cough (which I do a lot) or get up from bed or the chair. Don't know how long more this will take to heal.

Violence among arabs living in Israel have risen sharply in the past months, resulting in the arab communities to call on Israeli police to do more to curb these violence. It's usually family or tribal feuds among the arabs themselves ... or the dreadful practice of honour killings.

And talking about violence, I was appalled by the shooting of the student in Hong Kong yesterday. Things have reached a turning point. There's no way out now. But I am also appalled by the destruction of properties by the protestors ... they have no reason to destroy supermarkets and shops as these have nothing to do with the political problem in question. Something sinister smells bad here.

Today Cardinal Sandri is arriving in Jerusalem to join in our 800th anniversary celebrations of St. Francis meeting Sultan El Malik of Damietta. A whole series of conferences and prayer sessions have been organised that will climax in Mass on Oct 4th. With my sprained back, I can hardly think of even walking up the 1km to the conference venue. Stay home and rest.  https://www.custodia.org/en/news/800-years-meeting-between-st-francis-and-sultan?fbclid=IwAR1UFL2tGmNnd_51PTZ2yC569QsCjqu_b6QFoGJMpPLM_seNrpQa8_qDCjM