Thanks from Fr Vincenzo

Thanks to the following people for helping the Musky kids:
Jeannie So, Sarah Chan, Leung Lai Sheung, Lui Ching Kwan, Wong Kwong Tak, Hui Man Ying & Sze Yuk Ying.

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Bogged down with alot of work. I thought I could spend some time after dinner doing some of the things, but I just fell asleep right away. This morning some of the students are out on excursion to the Dead Sea. The rest are preparing for the exam. this Saturday. The breakfast table was very animated with discussion because Wojcych (I think that's how you spell his name. he's polish.) preached during Mass about "God's right hand" as mentioned in the 1st reading. Someone brought it up and the discussion went on the God's arm etc.... and mind you, they were using aramaic sources, rabbinic sources ... it was a very academic breakfast. Found it hard to digest at such an early morning, so I went out to feed the canaries.

The Dean, during breakfast, had asked Marco our Mexican student to clean out the Crusader Hall because it was pretty messy and the students use it to play ping-pong and weightlifting. I know Marco has to do his exam. so he was abit disappointed, but he said he'll ask a couple of other students to help. I volunteered to help, but only after I clean the canary cage which is absolutely filthy (didn't clean it for a week. Was busy with Lang!). Marco told the Dean he'd ask the "ragazzi" (boys) to help him, and then he armlocked my head and said "like this one". We laughed and the Dean said "Careful, Lionel is not one of the ragazzi. He is a senior." Boy that made me feel old! Well you could take it two ways I guess - senior meaning older than the rest of the students in age (which I am. In fact I'm the oldest student here!) or senior meaning doing the doctorate and not the Master's degree as the rest of the students are doing. Marco took the second meaning and began teasing me; which I wasn't in the mood as I wanted to clean the birdcage as soon as possible; and then finish off my other work. It's fun living with these younger friars but it saps the energy from a "senior" like me.

Marathon morning - vacuumed my room, clean out everything, threw out the rubbish (meaning going to the school, down 4 floors and into the courtyard where the rubbish bin is), cleaned the birdcage, spoke to the Dean regarding two matters, was too late to clean the Crusader Hall as the other guys finished it very quickly (4 of them), said goodbye to Osvalda because she's returning to Italy for a month for her mum's birthday and Christmas, printed some articles, all before 10.45am. Now exhausted and hungry so cooked 2 packets of instant noodles and a cup of pomegranate tea (from Turkey - love it!).

OK my rest time is over - must get back to work. Oh one other thing I want to share. Last night I couldn't find something important that I had put away. Searched everywhere and couldn't find it; worse I couldn't remember if I had thrown it away. Was so tired searching I fell asleep while searching! Weird! This was before vespers - 6pm that is. This morning at 4,30am continued searching for it. And also later this morning. Was pretty angry because it means I have to walk 2km to the New City to buy another one, and I don't want to go out today because I've got lots of work to do. Then as I opened the cupboard to get my kettle to boil water for my noodles and tea, there it was in front of me, next to the kettle! I've checked that cupboard 7 times and simply overlooked the thing directly in front of my eyes! I was searching at the back of the cupboard! Well a lesson everyone has experienced; nothing new; but very very important lesson. What you're searching for in life may be alot closer than you think!

Thanks

Thanks to Polly & Tancred (nice name huh? It's the famous Crusader prince of Galilee) and Agnes Leung for the offerings to the Musky kids. Fr Vincenzo will soon write a thank-you note in italian to everyone which I will upload on this blog. By the way, P&T (Polly/Tancred of course, not a name of a pharmaceutical company), I got the printer. Pretty good and heavy duty so my 300 page thesis can be printed.

Advent - looking back or forward?

It's nearing Christmas and ... the exams. This week there's one exam. for those doing Old Testament exegesis. You can sense the tension: students skipping meals and other activities, staying up late in the night, more silence than usual. I'm busy with a couple of assignments that I have to complete by this week. Lots of reading. For the past two evenings I've this terrible headache .... probably from too much reading. Fr Buscemi says it's a good sign - at least I have a head. I realised that my eyes are alot weaker now, and the heavy eyelids are not helping: it reduces the scope of vision, and everything is alot darker. I've resorted to what old Fr Marcus used to do - hold up the eyelids with scotchtape... and to think I used to laugh at him. Things come full circle.

Last night before I slept, I was thinking about the group that is coming to spend Christmas in Bethlehem. It's such a unique experience. We'll be celebrating Midnight Mass in one of the caves of Shepherds' Field. Then on Christmas Day we'll celebrate Mass at the Manger. I was thinking of the prophecies about the Messiah in the prophetic books; and I was wondering how difficult it must have been for those early Israelites to believe in those words. It's like someone at the MTR shouting to everyone that Jesus is coming in a few days' time. We'll all be sceptical, if not frightened by these people. Ever notice how you try to step away or avoid these people, eyes looking in another direction to avoid eye-contact, telling yourself "please don't come near me; please don't point at me and ask if I believe". Well lucky for us today we have the benefit of hindsight. The Messiah came 2000 yrs ago so we can easily say we believe. But Advent is also about looking into the future coming / 2nd coming of the messiah. No hindsight here. I wonder if we're looking just too much to the past in commemorating the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and forgotten that it's also a celebration and preparation for his 2nd coming. Look forward guys! It's coming!

Urgent notice

Thanks to everyone who's given so generously to the poor kids of Musky in Cairo. I have one urgent notice to mention: cheques written to the Duns Scotus Pilgrimages Ltd is causing problems for our accounting, something I thought would happen and now did. My poor judgement. Those who have already donated there, no problem we'll deal with it. But future donaitons please if possible, use cash and give to Katie who'll issue immediately a receipt. Our accountant will be keeping tabs on the receipts. If you wish to send cheques, well I'm still not sure how to deal with it as it has to be in USD and Fr Vincenzo hasn't given me any information.

Thanks to the CLC people for their offerings: Kyla Kwong, Wendy Chan, Philip Chak, Joseph Lai, Tan Kang John and Ivy Chan. Also thanks to Catherine Yau.

Graffiti with a lesson

Yesterday's 1st reading for Mass brought alot of muffled laughter from the 20 concelebrants at our conventual Mass. It's from Isaiah 35 and one verse says "There will be no more lions...[in the way of the Lord]". That's my name - "LIONel". In italian they call me "leoncello" like a young lion. So they figured when the messiah comes, I'll have to disappear! Well, they can keep hoping but I'll make sure this verse doesn't come true!

The sun is bright and shining again - but believe me it's cold. I've just opened my windows and directly in front (besides our bell tower) of my view is the Dome of the Rock mosque. Most people believe it's the same place where the Jewish temple once stood but was destroyed in 70 AD and the mosque was built over it in the 7th century. Today's readings and psalms kept repeating the words "Your holy mountain" and "your holy Temple" and it struck me that I am living ON this holy mountain and the Holy Place IS directly in front of my window - I see it hundreds of times a day. And this got me thinking about Lang's little note he left me (secretly tucked away in a toothpaste box ...... it's a long story so don't ask why .... ). I had brought him to the Holy Sepulchre and showed him the place where an ancient Christian pilgrim (possible 2nd century) from Rome carved a graffiti on the wall of the Church saying "Lord, I have come!" Lang said this struck him throughout his stay in Jerusalem - that his spiritual journey has "arrived" here in the Holyland.

That was very profound. I wonder how many of us are still bogged down by the past with regrets or fearful of the future; and fail to appreciate the here and now. "Lord I have come" - come this far in life's journey; survived all the battles of life, scarred, wounded, but nonetheless arrived.... just like the ancient pilgrim. I think it is very telling of our present state of life if we try to add an adjectival clause to the statement "Lord I have come". Try it. What would you add? "Lord I have come" - to praise You? "Lord I have come" - with sickness and pain? "Lord I have come" - to ask you a favour? "Lord I have come" - ...................

Just for laughs

Went to the Missionaries of Charity just now to share some thoughts on the Bible - we did the story of Moses' mother and sister today; and one of the sisters told a joke that I thought you'd enjoy.

There was a long-suffering man with a nagging wife who came to the Holyland on a tour. While touring, she suddenly died. The authorities offered the man two choices: bury her in the Holyland and pay $150 or bring the body back to their country which means paying $15,000. The man said he'll pay $15,000. The authorities were surprised and asked again if he was sure he wanted to pay that much and go through all the trouble. He said he was absolutely sure. Why they asked. He said "Because I heard someone once died here in the Holyland and he resurrected after 3 days!"