Feastday

2nd year students

I was just out to buy bread for tomorrow's breakfast when I was almost runned down by a took took ... that's those mini-trucks made in China that's heavily used by merchants nowadays. It ran through the vegetable hawkers' boxes of fruit and ran over a small boy in front of me. Poor boy ... about 6 yrs old. Looked like his ankle or chin was broken. There is no law against the use of these tuk tuks ... and it's about time a law ban these vehicles on pedestrian malls. On my way back form buying bred ... at the same area but out on the road, 2 cars collided. There was a small crowd swirling around ... not sure if anyone was hurt but it caused a massive traffic jam down into Damascus Gate. What an awful evening.

Our armenian franciscan martyr

This morning started out early with Mass with my 2nd Year Theology students. It was a good gathering. I prepared breakfast for them and brought them up to our terrace for a panoramic view of the City and beyond. I think they enjoyed the morning out. Immediately after that I had to go preach a retreat for the Bethlehem sisters. Afternoon was spent cleaning my room at a leisurely pace. No stress today. I really needed to slow down and rest.

Yesterday we celebrated the feast day of our armenian friar Salvatore Lilli who was martyred with 7 other armenian laity. Armenia and Turkey were part of the Custody of the Holy Land till the turn of the century.

Newspapers have reported anti-arab vandalism in a northern arab village by extremist jews. Cars were burnt or defaced. I guess they have been emboldened by america's unilateral declaration of recognising settlements in Palestine.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-cars-torched-in-suspected-settler-hate-crime/?fbclid=IwAR0Vqr0NFzSYouiTNywcBPZgHf_5WoNtovf7KTJQtFxT-TwSTgLfkSThSpA

On a positive note, the first day of Tel Aviv running public buses on Sabbath has been a huge success. So many people used it that the municipality has decided then and there to increase services next Sabbath. That's a total opposite of the trial in Jerusalem ... which was a huge failure. That's because in Jerusalem the ultra-orthodox are numerous and observe rigorously the Sabbath. Secular jews are cowed.