Winter soon

Making communion
hosts

Sunrise is later now. I'm trying to get used to 5am in the dark. In the past months, the sun rose at 4am and the muezzin could be heard as early as 3.30am. Now it's still dark at 5am and the creeping feeling that winter would suddenly pounce on us.

Nights are not only getting longer, the humidity is also intense and lots of dew fall during the night. In the morning, the ground is always wet. It looks like it had rained all night. Hanging clothes out to dry overnight is no longer possible! The plants are liking it though.

Meantime I had to visit the Spanish convent in the Old City. It's been some time since I was last there. Sr. Pelagia was making communion hosts on the new machine, and it was fascinating to watch how the large wafers are cut into smaller rounded wafers. The mixing of flour and water was also interesting as it must follow certain rules in order to qualify as unleavened bread. Learning something new everyday. 

Summer almost over

Summer shade

The summer solstice passed and the days are growing shorter. Thank goodness for that because the heat and humidity is severe. At least the nights are a little cooler, with a breeze blowing over the city. 

My nausea and diarrhea is a little more controlled now that the hospital prescribed magnesium and aluminum peroxide. It's a foul combination that makes me sick even as I open the bottle .... but at least I won't wake up in the night vomiting. People are commenting that I'm being kept alive only by all these medicines. Sad reality.

The Jewish High Holidays are also earlier this year. Rosh haShana falls on Sept. 11 and Yom Kippur falls on Sept. 20. Sukkot falls on Sept. 25 to Oct. 2. Hopefully it will pass uneventful with no incidents. Too much has happened in the past 3 years .... we're all tired and want only some peace and quiet, and let everyone enjoy their feasts.

Rainstorm in midsummer

August 15 ... feast of the Assumption ... the weirdest thing happened. A tremendous rainstorm struck the central high country .... torrents and waves unseen in 150 years. Right in the middle of  August .... midsummer.

On one hand it helped cool the stifling heatwave hitting the region, on the other hand it helped a little in water rationing as we're in a drought year. Still it was an unexpected surprise. Even forecasters were caught off guard.

Processions for the feast day in and around the Tomb of Mary in the Kidron Valley were disrupted by the storm. The rain also washed down Bethlehem .... clearing the dry dusty air. 

Despite the suddenness and inconveniences of the storm, everyone was happy. A midsummer night's dream of sorts. We prayed for rain all winter ... and we got it in midsummer.

Flood in the Kidron Valley
(photo from internet - Global Times)

In memoriam

 Missing mum. It's been a year.

Clover

Pink clover growing in park

The heatwave in Europe is hitting us hard. Though temperatures are not soaring high, you can feel the heat beating hard on your skin. Luckily we're not having those forest fires that Europe of plagued with.

Then again weirdly other parts of Europe are inundated with rain, floods and hail. The weather is apocalyptic, to say the least. We could do with the rain and hail. The grain harvest is over and the fruit on trees are just appearing. They need water to mature. So why not rain on our side of the world?

One thing I noticed with joy ... the pink clover that I secretly sowed in the park outside Damascus Gate have grown and blossomed. The flowers are not as big but they are numerous so from far they look like a pink carpet. And alongside them are the wild white clover. These park greenery has daily watering so they're flourishing well. That's a little plus in an otherwise hot and humid summer.

Heat

Amazing bougainvillea 

 Yesterday we received reports that several cities have opened their bomb shelters, as the country prepares for war again. People are rattled. But no panic. We've been there before. No mad rush to stock up. Everything is calm. Everyone hopes of course for the best that nothing will happen.

War or not, summer continues. The heat is stifling and so is the humidity.  School children continue with their excursions. Groups of pilgrims have returned. And while the rest of the plants wither in the heat ... the amazing bougainvillea is blooming like crazy all over the country. It thrives on unforgiving heat and sunlight. Even little twigs of bougainvillea have broken out in colour which are very intense. Such is the mystery of life.

Boom

Few people at Damascus Gate
market

 Two enormous explosions shook our house ... and the entire city just now. Doors and windows rattled ... I think glass were damaged ... it was very shocking. The birds were screaming and flying all around the room. I never experienced such a profound explosion. 

My first thought ... and still is ... is that it's sonic boom from an aircraft. It has to be. There were no missile sirens or warnings so it was nothing threatening. But being so loud and physical, it frightened many people and also animals.

Well that was probably the highlight of the day. It's still very stiflingly hot and humid. I tried to do some work but diarrhoea ruined my whole morning. The doctor gave me aluminum peroxide and magnesium peroxide to stop my nausea and vomiting. I wonder if that triggered my diarrhoea. I'm not sure what's worse for me today ... the sonic booms or the medicines.

Hot

Cloudless skies

 The weather continues to soar in the high 20s and low 30s. The sky is cloudless and the sun is relentless. The ground is so hot you can feel the heat waves rising from the paving stones. I'm sure the gum from the soles of your shoes will melt if you stay too long under the sun. In fact wearing shoes is bad advice. Your feet will cook in your shoes in this heat. I see many ... most ... people wearing sandals or slippers instead.

Weekends are very busy in our house. Everyone is travelling everywhere in the country to provide Masses in various languages.  One had to travel 3 hours to the northern border to celebrate Mass! Their dedication to the migrant communities is fantastic.

My swollen hand and foot have reduced but not entirely. The fingers and toes are stiff and difficult to bend. But it's better. Hospital has warned that I must not be stressed as it will definitely affect my heart and result in heart dysfunction. The heat isn't helping.

Sick

Kitten at the Gate

 It's been a year since my open heart triple bypass. Things should be improving except it isn't. Acid reflux due to the numerous medications I take every day is suffocating me 24 hrs a day. From nausea to vomiting and severe diarrhoea ... I've been to the doctor twice. Two days back Dr Thaer put me on two strong antacid medication. The night medication is working ... I could finally sleep last night after a very long time. No choking sensation, no nausea.

However the day before, I had a dull pain radiating down my left head to shoulder and arm. The left hand is quite swollen. So is the left foot. Doc examined me and said I'm not yet totally healed.  The heart still has problems and the nervous system is still bit short-circuited. Doc changed the dosage of 3 medications and hopefully the swelling will go down. For the past month I was also under observation for prostate problems. My PSA had shot up so high Doc sent me to a urologist who then orders an ultrasound and one month medication before a second PSA test. That was done last week and yesterday Doc said it went down by one point. Not terribly optimistic but at least it went down a notch. 

The truth is: I'm not feeling my best.

Heat

Iconic umbrellas

 With summer vacation underway, working parents are searching for activities that can occupy their kids while the parents are at work. But of course such activities that double as daycare will cost quite a sum of money. Remember meals are included. As mentioned in previous blogs, agencies and schools prefer to organize day excursions as it costs less, is more educational and students get to choose which days to participate, and which days not. With almost two years of war, cancellation of outdoor activities and restriction of movement, students are frustrated feeling cramped physically and psychologically. Excursions compensate for this.

Temp rise between 32 - 36 degrees every day. It's stiflingly hot. And the iconic umbrellas are strung on many streets to provide shade, colour and a holiday vibe. A few of us are sick because of dehydration and exhaustion. With many priests on vacation, the few of us remaining must substitute them. That means traveling to other cities often with difficulties because Sabbat does not allow public transport. Without a private car, you're hostage to the taxis that work on Sabbat, and the prices go up triple.

The heat is giving me a headache right now. I'll have to rest more. July 1st is another medical examination and possibly an MRI.

Vacation and visits

Our Patriarch is welcomed
by the children

 The summer holidays have begun. Although there's no uniform date for all the schools in the region, as schools can decide on their own end-of-semester dates, most occur within a fortnight from each other. And with the rising expenses of everything, summer camps are a rarity as most families no longer can afford sending their children there. Instead there're lots of one day excursions. They cost less and are a lot more educational, I think. Excursions bring students to other cities, to visit other cultures, religions, and even the physical geography that differ from where they live. 

Our patriarch with the Greek Orthodox patriarch entered Gaza yesterday with an entourage. It was to check on the welfare of the christians remaining in the enclave. It's heartwarming to see the solidarity and compassion in the small community of christians, numbering no more than 500 people. 

Visiting the Anglican hospital

A small clinic was established to care for the children. It was jointly blessed by our Latin Patriarch as well as the Greek Patriarch. Later our Patriarch also visited the Anglican hospital that is recovering from previous damage.  There is optimism and hope. And the faith is strengthened by the adversity.

Let's hope for the best during this ceasefire. Not just for our Christians in the enclave but also for those living in the West Bank that's under siege. 

Summer

Summer sun and shadow

 Exam season is almost over and summer holidays are beginning. For some schools, holidays have already started. Scores of school kids - from primary school to secondary school - go on excursions by the busloads. And there are many. Much more than I have ever seen,

I guess one of the reasons for the sudden surge of school excursions is the rising cost of everything. Organising a summer camp is now very costly. Most families struggling to bring food to the table, are not able to afford sending their kids to summer camps this year. So the alternative is a one day excursion to different parts of the country. Mind you petrol is also very costly and hiring a coach for transport is expensive. But shared between 40 - 50 students and subsidised by the school, it's more affordable than a 5 day summer camp.

one thing I noticed about these summer excursions is its very educational. Teachers and tourist guides teach the students the history of the place, visit churches, mosques and synagogues. It opens the horizons of the students and introduces them to other communities living around them that they hold with suspicion and fear. So I feel excursions are more beneficial than week long summer camps.

Exams

Peafowl in the street

School exams are underway. You see students in the bus, in the streets, in cafes ..,. studying hard. They should realise that education is the key to breaking out of poverty. Unfortunately there are still people with the mentality that education is a waste of time and money. They prefer their children to go out and work. This sense of hopelessness that education will not better your life leads to many children with low esteem for themselves. They do not see their gifts, and if they believed enough in themselves, they'd do well. But there's so much pessimism and feelings of inadequacy that it imprisons some very bright minds to a cycle of poverty and underdevelopment.

I know they can do it because I had a case that I followed for over 8 years. A girl from a very poor background but given the opportunity and the kind sponsorship from some of you, she's now studying her final year in university. She's done good in last year's exams so much so that a 6 star hotel in Tel Aviv invited her to work for a week with them as a trial. I'm very happy for her.

Meantime the summer heat is climbing higher by the day. During the cooler evening one day, I decided to pay a visit to the local Melkite parish. I've known the parish priest for over 3 decades. On the way there, in the village street were a couple of peafowls wandering freely. I was surprised the feral cats did not attack them ... and there were several across the street.

Marian feasts

Sri Lankan crowd gathering

 May is always a busy month, not least because it's dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Every community wants to celebrate its own Marian devotion. And everyone gets invited to join in.

Our Sri Lankan community organised their celebration last week. It was grand. Thousands of shekels were spent on the flowers and decorations inside and outside the church. It was stunning. And they did all the decorations within 4 hours at night. The flowers remained fresh the next day. The church was scented with rose blossoms. It was very beautiful.

Flowers galore

And the liturgy and procession of the Marian statue along the street was very well organized. All the work was done by the lay leadership. They were very motivated and everyone in the community contributed in some way to make the event a success. 

And the lunch that followed was another success. All sorts of Sri Lankan curries and saffron rice. I took two servings as it was very delicious. In fact all of us took at least two servings if not three. Nobody could eat dinner that day. We were stuffed.

Sri Lankan chaplain
is rightly proud of the
success

Last week also saw the first communion and confirmation sacraments being conferred in the Latin parishes. Another wave of celebrations.

This week the Eastern churches celebrate Pentecost. The Ethiopian and Ukrainian byzantines are holding big celebrations in their turn.

So every week was busy with events, going to one parish or Mass Center to another to help or give moral support. There's never a dull moment in this diocese.

Feast

Ss. Vincenza
& Bartolomea

Once again a whole week has flown passed and I didn't even realize it. We've been busy preparing for the Ascension, and children's first communions ... such that I lost trace of time.

April is over and we're well into May. Today I was reminded that the Sisters of Charity celebrate their feast day of their foundresses - Ss. Bartolomea and Vincenza. The congregation was founded in northern Italy for the care and education of poor girls. Nowadays the sisters run schools and vocational institutes, hospitals and most famously cared for emeritus pope Benedict in his retirement. Happy feast to them! Here in the Holy Land they administer two hospitals and two sanctuaries.

Ajue bread

I'm quite exhausted from all the activities and have been resting more than usual. The body and mind is not longer able to cope with daily activities ... and I was "gently" reminded I'm no longer young nor in good health. In fact the numerous medicines I have to take each day is now reacting badly. Acid reflux is so major it's choking me daily and preventing me from sleeping. The anti-reflux medicine that I take every morning is not enough. Doc said to take another one every night. But I'm reluctant because the side-effect is loss of memory. As it already is, I can't find my books, my keys, even my direction. Augmenting it with medication is not welcome. I may forget even my name next.

This morning I did a very local thing ... eating a piece of bread under the palm trees. It was ajue bread ... dough baked with date paste. I haven't done this is many years. It feels very nice. Very homey. Something for the feast of Ss. Vincenza and Bartolomea.

Reunion

After a year's absence recuperating from my open heart surgery, I was able this weekend to meet with the Konkani communities that I used to serve: those in Jaffa, Tel Aviv and Herzliya. It was wonderful to meet them again and I thanked them for their prayers. They were very worried for my situation. It was a very touching reunion in 3 cities.

While I've improved from before the operation, I'm still suffering from pains, and worse the memory is dreadfully lost. Today I was drying the dishes and when I put away a large pot, I couldn't find my drying rag. Everyone laughed. Then I made a cup of coffee and couldn't find it. People got serious. It has happened before but not with the frequency of these few months. Now they're as worried as I am.

Herzliya Mass

Festal Mass at Tel Aviv

              

Update

Market

 Unbelievably 2 weeks have flown by and it's already May. I didn't even realise that I had not posted on the blog.

Health is a constant problem. The heavy dosage of medicines are still causing diarrhoea, fatigue and lost of memory. The sternum continues to be very painful and I tire easily. With the ceasefire in effect, we're allowed to see the doctors again. They reserved consultations only for war victims before this. I had to argue and convince the reception desk that it was an emergency because the doc needed to change my medication. That was 3 weeks ago. Now that consultation is open again, lots of people are queueing to see their doctors. The wait now can be up to a week before my appointment comes up.

1st Communion

Nevertheless despite all that, I try to walk as much as I can. The hospital demands that I walk 4km daily, 8km is better. I will be so tired I won't be able to walk home. I try my best. 4km fits nicely for a walk to the open market and back.

The change of weather is also affecting many people. Cold and flu symptoms everywhere. I try to steer clear from crowds because of this. My immune system is low and it's risky for me to catch any germs.

Yesterday all our churches celebrated the 1st Communion of children. I was asked to help in the Geez Rite liturgy for this. It's the Alexandrian rite for Ethiopians and Eritreans. It lasted 3 hours. I was seated most of the time as I don't have the stamina. About 20 kids received their 1st Communion and the community was dancing and ululating throughout the liturgy. It's very difficult from the Roman rite that requires silence, order and conformity.

Time flies

my Echium bush

 Another week has passed. And the end of April is upon us. One third of 2026 is ending. Time flies. 

And time flying past is evidenced by the little Echium Candicans bush I gave the Ivrea sisters. It was barely a 6 inch stalk struggling to survive. Now planted on the ground, it's a hefty bush throwing out blossoms of purple spikes. attracting bees and butterflies. The sisters cut the spikes and made 4 flower baskets for their chapel. They look amazing. I'm just so happy I gave them the echium. Had I kept it, it would have died because I do not have a garden to plant it on the ground. It was living out in a little pot. Sometimes it's necessary to let things go, and then they'll flourish.

Echium basket in 
the Ivrea chapel

I sprained my neck and right shoulder carrying boxes of books and stuff. After the heart operation, my body is no longer as strong as before. Any twist or turn will end up in bruises and sprained muscles. Then I spend the entire night in pain. So there's so much lifestyle adjustments to make after the operation. Life is no longer the same. And don't even talk to me about my memory. It comes and goes. That's why I'm not regularly updating my blog. I just can't remember anything anymore. 

Easter again

Fr. Patrick knocks
3 times to open
the church doors

It's Easter again! For the Eastern Catholic churches that follow the Julian calendar!!

Our Ukrainian Catholics of the Byzantine rite celebrated it yesterday. It was a huge presence! Most brought home baked Easter bread and painted eggs to be blessed. This took place after the liturgy which lasted almost 3 hours! The people laid their baked easter goodies on the plaza in front of the church and the priest splashed copious amounts of holy water on everyone and everything. The aim is to wet everything in sight ... literally soaking wet. That's why it takes place outside the church!!!

The Ethiopic Catholics also celebrated their Easter but I haven't received photos from them yet. I'll share them with you once I get them.

Today we get to eat Easter Bread and eggs all over again .... for the next few days!

People waiting for
the blessing

Easter

 It's Easter already. Holy Week came and went pretty fast. In Jerusalem there were no public celebrations as wartime regulations prohibit crowded gatherings. Everything was private. It was like Covid again. Only this time we had sirens and alerts and hiding in bunkers. I guess all the preoccupation with avoiding a missile hit and shrapnel injury made us oblivious to the time. Imagine Holy Thursday night in the middle of Mass and the sirens are sounded. And it happened on Good Friday and Easter Vigil as well. 

As with every Easter, I'm posting the same photo of the ancient tomb with a rolling stone. It's eloquent in its simplicity and silence ... an empty tomb. A space between death and resurrection; between darkness and light. A moment which is neither here nor there, neither filled nor empty. It's almost surreal.

Empty Tomb