Palm Sunday

Mt. of Olives this morning

Holy Week has started. But strangely quiet. Today a sandstorm is blowing. The sky is yellow and the wind is hot. Small bits of sand are flying through the air and I've got a sore throat as a result. They're so fine they slip through the window sills and door cracks. And Palm Sunday on fall on this  day is significant ... it tells us of the perils ancient pilgrims had to face.

From my terrace I get a good view of the Mt. of Olives where Jesus rode the donkey down to the City. From the photo you can see the sand storm. The road coming down the mountain is deadly quiet. No one on the streets. After lunch only the bishops and a few assistants will walk down the route. The Archbishop has decided to stop at Dominus Flevit, the church where Jesus wept over Jerusalem, to say a prayer and bless Jerusalem and the world with a relic of the True Cross. It will be broadcast live. Click on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW-JDH96KLo&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1m8GCWJlcImb-imaABcqGFQNZq3B1boZ4r295Eo_svrQyHNQxmUI_HED4

The tiny road where Jesus
rode the donkey

Locally a crisis is slowly looming ... a shortage of viral testing kits. Old Aged homes have become a new hotspot for cluster contamination. Calls for more total lockdown of other ultra-orthodox neighbourhoods. Police are still unsure how to enforce the face-mask law. Campers and beach-goers have been forced to pack up and go home. Ambulances and attendants have been stoned by ultra-orthodox jews when they enter the neighbourhoods to test for the virus. Insurance companies are saying there will be no payouts until after the Passover holidays which is April 15th. So much consternation. So much anger and fear. So much uncertainty. And the jewish Passover begins on Wednesday evening April 8th.  

The Custos has just written an instruction to us, telling us we are living in the actual places of the Passion of Christ. Since christians can no longer come to commemorate these events on Holy Week, then we must represent everyone on behalf of the Church. So know that I'll be praying for you all here in the Flagellation and Condemnation chapels this Holy Week.