Weekend over

 Someone has hacked and messed up my posts. The last one is missing!

Mass at Calvary

Anyway last Saturday I celebrated Mass on Calvary on my 30th anniversary. Some of our students joined me, together with friends from Jerusalem. It was a nice crowd. Some of them surprised me by compiling video interviews of people who know me to send their well wishes. It was touching. I'm very grateful to them.

The weather has finally warmed up and there's no turning back to winter. Though it's still chilly with temp around 4 degrees at night and 18 in the day, people are out some in T-shirts. Most are prudent and wear a jacket and hat.

There was a terrible terrorist attack in the coastal city of Hadera where gunfire was exchanged and 2 policemen died. The wave of violence is getting more frequent and more deadly. It spells bad news for summer. This morning a missile attack siren sounded throughout central Israel ... a drill in case of an attack. A social media post said it's timed 3 days before Ramadan commences ... meaning they expect violence in Ramadan. I noticed police presence has been stepped up this week, and muslim crowds have grown. Clashes will be inevitable. On Sunday evening as I came home from work, there was a huge crowd gathered at the East Jerusalem Police Station chanting and jeering. I think the police arrested someone and the crowds can to seek his release. All the signs of an uneasy summer are there.

I think what makes it particularly worrying is the main feasts of all 3 religions fall within a week of each other. This Saturday begins Ramadan.  And the following week is the jewish Passover on April 15, which is our Good Friday. Orthodox Easter falls on 24th April. Even if there're no violence, it'll be tense in the Old City as crowds of different faiths share the same roads for processions etc. Christians will be eating and drinking during Easter but the muslims will frown because they're fasting in Ramadan.