Of ordinations and Advent

Advent wreathe

It's Advent. Yesterday began the 1st of the solemn entries of the Custos into Bethlehem ... a custom from the Crusader times. But yesterday was different ... the Custos brought the relic of the Manger into the Basilica of the Nativity during the solemn entry. I'm pretty skeptical about that relic. Firstly it was  dreadful disappointment ... 1cm bit of wood when the original is a meter long. And the headlines over the world is "Manger returns to Holy Land". Well no ... a sliver of it came back to Bethlehem, not the whole Manger. Secondly anyone who's lived in this land knows that mangers are made from stone and not wood. In the desert region where Bethlehem is, there are hardly any trees whose wood could have been used for a wooden manger. Anyway there were few local christians who showed up at the Notre Dame Centre when the relic arrived from Rome in Jerusalem. Most of the crowd were tourists and foreigners.

4 new acolytes

I can't remember much about yesterday. I've been forgetting so many things lately. Was reading a book when someone rang the bell and I went to answer the door ... got back an couldn't find my book. Couldn't find my keys the day before. Couldn't find my jacket. Then I can't remember people's names. Total blank. I think I'm mentally exhausted.

2 new deacons with cardinal

OK now it's suddenly come back to me ... yesterday morning my students were ordained deacons and acolytes. It was a festive event as they're all africans and the african community from Tel Aviv came to show their support and there were many cultural happenings, dances, singing during and after the liturgy. The seminarians are all from the Missionaries of Africa or popularly known as White Fathers because of the habit they wear. Their community just had one of their members made a cardinal ... and he returned from Rome to ordain the seminarians.

Yesterday an arab teenager was killed near Hebron when he and others threw firebombs at Israeli soldiers. Police presence in the Old City was stepped up. Security helicopters were flying overhead most of the time. And 2 of our neighbours started a fight that shook our neighbourhood. They were very very violent ... and the police had to come in and close of the street till things called down.