Stromata

Damascus Gate
Veggie seller

 Catching up with updating the blog. Though the temp is higher than last weekend and it's quite sunny, the indoor temp is still very chilly. Forecast is rain next Wednesday. I hope this time it'll be very heavy in Jerusalem. We don't get enough of rain here while the rest of the country is inundated. We need that wintry feel as we approach Christmas.

The new mutant strain of Covid has hit Israel with one case. The govt has warned the country is on the brink of another emergency as 2 other suspected cases have eluded authorities and are on the run. I'm staying indoors as much as possible and not mixing with crowds. And its always mask-wearing whenever I have to go to work, or buy necessities like medicine and bread. It's awful this time round because the new strain is resistant to all the vaccines.

The Pope will be visiting Cyprus next week. No one knows why as the Catholic population there is minuscule and there's no particular need such as persecution to warrant such a visit during this pandemic. It'll cost alot of money, that's for sure ... security-wise. And with the new strain of Covid going around, I don't think it's wise.

Busy market today

Today's newspapers report that Titus Brandsma, a dutch Carmelite who spoke against the Nazis and was killed in Dachau, will soon be canonised. Likewise Charles de Foucauld, who lived some years here in the Holy Land, will also be canonised. That's some good news. Added to that, newspapers today say the govt. is issuing 500 entry permits to Gaza Christians for Christmas visits to Bethlehem. That's really a major shift forward, and we hope it will actually be carried through.

The 1st Sunday of Advent is upon us, and I look forward to making the little decorations on my room altar for it. I don't want to mix in the crowd for fear of catching the virus, so I'll do a minimum of buying. It'll be a good break from the routine of work.