It's the weekend again ... another week has flown by. Soon the end of the year will arrive. Winter appears to be cold this year ... judging from the chill that we're already experiencing now. What is lacking is the rain. It should come in the next few weeks after Sukkot ... fingers crossed.
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| Cosmas and Damian |
Yesterday was the feast of Ss. Cosmas and Damian, the 2 Syrian brothers who were also medical doctors. There was once an ancient monastery dedicated to them here in the Old City., Today it is the 6th Station of the Cross run by the Little Sisters of Jesus (Charles de Foucauld). A few of the remains still exist in a closed-off part of the chapel. The MC sisters wanted to see so I brought them there. The ancient mosaic floor was still there with some arches. We prayed for the sick in the ancient ruins. Cosmas and Damian healed the sick without asking for money ... hence their greek nicknames "the holy un-mercenaries." With the high medical prices and insurance, we need to pray to these 2 saints to protect the sick who are poor and cannot pay for medical services.
There's an icon of them inside the ruins. Few people get to see this place as it's not open to the public. But it's good to know it exists. Special arrangements can be made to see it after contacting the Little Sisters.
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| Ancient ruins of the monastery |
The fighting in the north has not abated. And just after midnight a missile from Yemen entered local airspace into Tel Aviv. Luckily it was detected and taken down before it hit any targets on the ground. The damage would have been substantial. At 4am the roar of fighter jets disturbed the silent night ... they were flying in droves and I could hear them overhead my room. Everyone here is praying for peace ... for a stop to the violence. But it remains as elusive as the winter rains. Maybe Cosmas and Damian can heal these wounds of hatred.
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