Thanks

Thanks to all of you to sent me stuff via the group that came last week - the medicine, food, stationary, clothes, candles and computer stuff. Also the donations to the Franciscans of the Holyland and the poor children of Musky. Also to May Yu, Susan, Julia Lai, Agnes Lee. Received everything. Will be praying for all of you.

Awesome!

Terrible headache again. Maybe it's not enough water that I'm drinking. Took 2 asprins last night. And I couldn't concentrate on my work yesterday. tried analysing more texts but couldn't, tried reading a couple of books but couldn't either. Real tough.

Matthew wasn't feeling well either - he has stomach pains. So I cooked rice and he provided fish curry that the Missionaries of Charity (Bethlehem community) cooked for him. We ate in his room because it's alot bigger and he has chairs and a large table - I don't. It beats eating pancakes for dinner - YES we had pancakes with jam and fruit salad for dinner; nothing else. Can you imagine a chinese stomach without rice for dinner?

Tonight at 3am the grp is coming from HK to spend Holy Week in Jerusalem. I'll be with them so I might not be on the blog as regularly as usual. It'll be hectic as we have to get up at midnight to join in the liturgies in the Holy Sepulchre for several days.

Anyway today's Gospel reading from John has Jesus saying "Before Abraham was, I AM". Now that is awesome! Jesus was outright claiming to be Yahweh himself. I think we have lost alot of "awe" in our religion. We get awed by the latest technology, awed by this and that, but sometimes we miss the awe-full sunrise, or a flower opening or a bird singing .... all the little things around us that reflect the awe of the Creator. Well next week we should awe at the greatest wonder of all - God coming among us to save us, taking the form of a human, suffering, dying and resurrecting. Awe at the liturgy that unfolds this mystery. Be awe-filled!

Ramblings ....

Yesterday was another day of work. Well you're going to hear this phrase for the next year or so ... and good thing too because that means I'm actually studying instead of wasting my time!

The Dean popped over to my room yesterday evening after the Faculty meeting. I think he wanted to say something but didn't. He also gave me Fr Vincenzo's phone number in Italy because we lost him!!!! We were terribly worried because of his thrombosis of the leg - he was rushed back to Italy from Cairo for medical treatment. before he flew out to Italy, he called to tell me. Then when he arrived at his sister's house in Italy, he skyped me again to say he arrived. But after that it was silence. Well he did say he had gone to the hospital first for lots of tests. So finally we found him. Glad he's resting and recuperating. Anyway back to the dean: I showed him my work on the computer and asked a question that I was stuck with for 3 days .... aaahhhhhh. Then he saw all my computers and video-conferencing stuff - was pretty impressed! Well, I think the ultimate thing was - the dean is completing his term in a couple of months' time. He did a great job all these past 6 years and was an unshaking support for our chinese Studium Biblicum and its projects. We really owe him alot, guys, so say a prayer for him.

Matthew as usual was getting on my nerves as much as I was on his. I think he's done alot of work - isolating himself down in the library and all. Hmmmmm must try out that strategy! Anyway we continue bantering till now some students in the house join in to take sides. Congratulations to me! I think I just started World War 3!!!!!!!

Oh and 2 mornings back as I was washing up, I had a terrible shock! You see, I leave my computer on in the early mornings while I make my bed, bathe and do some stuff before going down for Mass; and that's usually "Smile of a Child" internet TV showing. The timetable was 5am "The Big Garage" (Yuck I dislike it) 5.30am "St Bear's Doll Hospital" and 6am "Friends and Heroes" which I normally miss because I go down to church for mass at that time. But two days back when I came out of the shower, expecting to see Nurse Penny, Dr Teddy, Ms Chamomille the matron, and Pins and Needles (operating room attendents), there was "Bibleman"!!!!! I panicked, thinking I woke up late and it's now 6.30am (that's when "Bibleman" comes on, but I miss that too because Mass would have started). Checked my alarm clock, my computer clocks and my watch but all said it's 5.30am - hhhmmm then I realised America switch to Summer Daylight saving that's why the show was an hour ahead! Scared me silly! Oh and "Bibleman"? - That's the superhero who saves people in trouble but he always has to justify each action with a Bible quote - very protestant. "Bibleman" is a guy transformed by the Word of God (like wow! check it out!) and goes out to fight evil with Bible quotations, light sabres etc..... tacky tacky... And guess who played "Bibleman"in the original series? Willie Aames .... (like who?) you remember back in the 70s "Eight is enough" and the 2nd son called Tommy Bradford? Yup, he's now a born-again Christian and played the original Bibleman till 2004. Now they got some other guy who looks more like a villain than protagonist! I thought I recognsied Willie Aames in the first few series .... (ok confession: I've been following Bibleman for some time now....guilty guilty) Hhhmmm I'll probably tell you guys more about these kiddie shows on "Smile of a Child" and like I said in my previous mail - I recommend it to even Catholic kids - very good with inculcating moral virtues to kids.

So lesson to learn? Be a "Bibleman" - let the Word of God transform you and you'll do things you never thought you could! Come to our Duns Scotus Bible Centre courses to learn more of God's Word and let it transform you!

Repent!!!!!!

The weather is still pretty cool after yesterday's weather change although the sun is up and shining. The Old City remains pretty tense with lots of soldiers everywhere.

I'm polishing up on the few verses that I've analysed because I realised there were some things left out in the work. It's getting tedious ........

But I have to get it done, soooooooo back to work.

Today's readings talk about the bronze serpent (1st reading). The bronze serpent has no power of its own to save people; but each time the people looked at it, it reminded them of their punishment for their sins (ie snakes), and by acknowledging their sinfulness (and hopefully resolute not to sin again!) they might repent and convert. So as we enter into the last week of Lent, repent repent repent!!!!!!!

Weather change

Just a quick note to let you know the temperature just fell 12 degrees in one hour!!! I went out to the Missionaries of Charity at 3pm and it was 24 degrees - warm. When I came back at 4pm it was 12.8 degrees! Fog throughout the Old City. All the shops were closing and everyone rushing home. I hope it rains tonight so it'll clear the air. But the forecast is 11 degrees tonight so I'll have to get my "hot air fan" and blankets out again. It'll be around 11-10 degrees for the next few nights so I hope the group that's coming on Friday is prepared!

Rushing to where?

The hamsin is still dragging its way through Jerusalem. I see many people are already coughing and falling sick. Yucks! Hopefully it'll rain and wash away the hot desert air.

Tried to do some work yesterday evening but was simply too distracted with that horrible headache. Tried to sleep early (had a VC lesson at 4am this morning) but couldn't. Anyway it was only a couple of hours sleep when I did eventually sleep - got up at 2.30am and was awake again.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem for the Latins, Msgr Michel Sabbah, has written his last pastoral letter to everyone because he will retire this Holy Week. He has been Patriarch for the past 20 years. Now Msgr Fouard Twal will take over. Msgr Sabbah was a very gentle person, soft-spoken and could be firm. Everyone here in the Holyland look to him as a father to our small Latin community. We wish him all the best in his retirement.

Today I want to finish some more work but got caught up with some administrative stuff at our school office. Ah well...... got to make up for lost time now.

Meanwhile today's Mass was extra long because the Gospel was the same as yesterday's - the raising of Lazarus. It was very long. Fr Cignelli our hebdom gave a 2 line sermon about Mary rushing to meet Jesus and that we too should rush to Jesus. Which makes you think about our lives in HK and S'pore - rushing here and there because time is money. Maybe we should put our priorities right and start rushing to Jesus, to the Cross, to Easter - not senselessly but rushing out of urgency, need and purpose. Ever notice when the telephone rings, people rush to it - we seldom let it ring for more than 3 times if we can help it. Ever rushed with eagerness to pray? rush with enthusiasm? or do we keep putting it off, or rush THROUGH it to get it over with? Hhhmmmmm something to think about.

Hamsin

5th Sunday of Lent already. Celebrated Mass at 6.30pm but this morning there was a rather "big" crowd - 9 of us when usually its 4 or 5. The common Mass on Sundays is at 8am but its a little too late for some of us. Fr Massimo Pazzini gave a very thoughtful and brief sermon (2 minutes!) - he spoke of today's Gospel of the raising of Lazarus. "He wept" referring to Jesus, is the shortest verse in the entire New Testament. It was the tears of Mary that touched Jesus and caused him to weep - and Pazzini quoted the Fathers of the Church who likened the tears of jesus as rain and the dead Lazarus as the arid ground. Watered by Jesus' tears, Lazarus arose. So too we should cause Jesus to weep - not for our sins but for our repentence, so that watered by his tears, we too may arise like new plants on wet soil.

So that was a nice start to the day. After breakfast I went to feed the birds. The canary that laid 2 eggs threw them out. I sort of knew she would do that. Tried to start on reading a grammatical book but had a terrible headache. Matthew came to my room so we decided to take a walk out in the New City for some fresh air. Walked a huge round, saw several interesting places that we never noticed (little side streets and courtyards with quaint 100 yr old stone houses converted to restaurents and shops). Bought some apple buns and mushroom pastries from an Israeli shop. Matthew wasn't sure if he wanted them, but anyway i shared some with him when I got home.

Tried to sleep of this horrible headache (apparently I'm not the only one who has it). It must be this strange hamsin that's blowing. It's a sirocco type of desert wind that should occur only after Passover but for the past week we've been covered with it. You can't see the sky - it's all a dreary yellow brown, the desert sands block all sunlight. It gets hot and dry. And you have this starnge feeling of headiness - or lightheadedness. I think it's because of dehydration. Anyway I get the feeling a few people will be sick by tomorrow. Me? I'm taking precautions and taking medicine now. And I'm off to sleep now. Got a lesson tomorrow at 4am on VC. You guys should try and come!