Watch BBC cover the ultra-orthodox protest against the Sabbath carpark. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8146313.stm Israeli soldiers and police, they're of course secular Jews who don't observe the Sabbath, clear them off the streets.
Yesterday the newspapers reported the French Foreign Minister saying the US is giving Israel 6 months to stop all settlement building. Today Israel denies such a thing. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443778534&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Two times previosuly a similar thing occurred (US giving Israel green light to attack iran; Bush admin. agreed to settlement building) - US says one thing, israel denies knowing it, US restates it. Looks like Israel is losing the media war. Usually when Israel denies, the US tries to avoid an embaressment so backs down and follows Israel's way. But the Obama admin. is standing firm - and now it's Israel that's being embarassed in the media. Old tricks are not working.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Procession
As expected, more haredim protests against the carpark opening on the Sabbath. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443777079&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull I coundn't make it out of the Old City to see the clash because something turned up and I had to see to it after lunch (problem with the neighbours .... they're throwing their rubbish into our courtyard for 3 straight days now). You can't possibly believe the tension we live in here.
Later in the afternoon I decided to go to the Holy Sepulchre instead to make the daily procession and pray for all of you. On the way pass the 3rd Station, some trouble happened - ambulance, police and soldiers everywhere. Half the community at the Sepulchre are on summer leave so the coomunity needs help for the singing and other services. Believe me, my voice and Carlo's (a brasilian priest serving at the Sepulchre) are enough to sound out throughout the entire basilica. It was a pretty crowded affair today - hundreds of Maltese, italians and spaniards came to join in the procession. It always ends with eucharistic benediction at our Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. It struck me so profoudly how this blessing of Christ is coming from the very spot where he died and rose again - where else can the blessing be more significant? As we were singing the hymn "Resurrexit sicut dixit" (He is risen as he said), the celebrant raised the Blessed Sacrament and blessed everyone and I prayed for all of you, that you too may receive this blessing.
Along in the procession I met some people whom I had previously either met or confessed - a couple of Costa Rican doctors, Fr Marcello Ghirlando from Malta, several sisters... it was good to meet them.
After the procession, an emergency - the usual 6pm Mass had no celebrant. The sacristans asked me to celebrate it. There were some 25 people waiting there - Costa Ricans, Palestinians, Polish, Americans and I think Slavs ... so mixed that everyone decided I use english as it was the common language. After the Mass I walked home very slowly. At the Sepulchre courtyard, Mahmoud the cameraman came to greet me; haven't seen him for over 2 months. Exhausted by all the activities. Came home and am now resting (which usually means reading up on my research). Tomorrow is Sunday, I'll go to the Sepulchre again at 4am to celebrate Mass and pray for all of you.
Later in the afternoon I decided to go to the Holy Sepulchre instead to make the daily procession and pray for all of you. On the way pass the 3rd Station, some trouble happened - ambulance, police and soldiers everywhere. Half the community at the Sepulchre are on summer leave so the coomunity needs help for the singing and other services. Believe me, my voice and Carlo's (a brasilian priest serving at the Sepulchre) are enough to sound out throughout the entire basilica. It was a pretty crowded affair today - hundreds of Maltese, italians and spaniards came to join in the procession. It always ends with eucharistic benediction at our Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. It struck me so profoudly how this blessing of Christ is coming from the very spot where he died and rose again - where else can the blessing be more significant? As we were singing the hymn "Resurrexit sicut dixit" (He is risen as he said), the celebrant raised the Blessed Sacrament and blessed everyone and I prayed for all of you, that you too may receive this blessing.
Along in the procession I met some people whom I had previously either met or confessed - a couple of Costa Rican doctors, Fr Marcello Ghirlando from Malta, several sisters... it was good to meet them.
After the procession, an emergency - the usual 6pm Mass had no celebrant. The sacristans asked me to celebrate it. There were some 25 people waiting there - Costa Ricans, Palestinians, Polish, Americans and I think Slavs ... so mixed that everyone decided I use english as it was the common language. After the Mass I walked home very slowly. At the Sepulchre courtyard, Mahmoud the cameraman came to greet me; haven't seen him for over 2 months. Exhausted by all the activities. Came home and am now resting (which usually means reading up on my research). Tomorrow is Sunday, I'll go to the Sepulchre again at 4am to celebrate Mass and pray for all of you.
Sabbath
Another day of violence in northern Israel. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443775779&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull and a horrific accident in Bet Shemesh http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1099293.html
Weekends are always a tense affair - getting to sleep that is. Thursday nights begin the muslim weekend. That means lots of weddings take place. So at 9pm onwards fireworks are set off in the houses and streets. Some are so big it's like blowing a canon off. I had a terrible shock when on Thursday night a nearby house set off a massive firework. Our monastery shook from the blast. I got an aweful shock as I was about to fall asleep. Sometimes this blasting goes on till midnight. Last night I was awaken with a shock and ended up with an asthma attack. And this happens practically every Thursday and Friday night. Then the Jewish Sabbath begins - Friday night. Soldiers fill the Old City streets to protect Jews going to the Wailing Wall. Tension builds. Arab youths stand in street corners taunting the soldiers. Zionist yeshiva students chant and sing in the streets, often to provoke an arab response. I wonder if today the ultra-Orthodox Jews will riot at the carpark again. I'll go out and see in the afternoon.
The weather is still hot. People are eating more veggies and going for evening walks .... when they are not causing trouble. And I'm trying to catch 40 winks to make up for a restless night's sleep.
Weekends are always a tense affair - getting to sleep that is. Thursday nights begin the muslim weekend. That means lots of weddings take place. So at 9pm onwards fireworks are set off in the houses and streets. Some are so big it's like blowing a canon off. I had a terrible shock when on Thursday night a nearby house set off a massive firework. Our monastery shook from the blast. I got an aweful shock as I was about to fall asleep. Sometimes this blasting goes on till midnight. Last night I was awaken with a shock and ended up with an asthma attack. And this happens practically every Thursday and Friday night. Then the Jewish Sabbath begins - Friday night. Soldiers fill the Old City streets to protect Jews going to the Wailing Wall. Tension builds. Arab youths stand in street corners taunting the soldiers. Zionist yeshiva students chant and sing in the streets, often to provoke an arab response. I wonder if today the ultra-Orthodox Jews will riot at the carpark again. I'll go out and see in the afternoon.
The weather is still hot. People are eating more veggies and going for evening walks .... when they are not causing trouble. And I'm trying to catch 40 winks to make up for a restless night's sleep.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Hot day
The weather is getting very hot - and bright. The superior has decided to get a big tent to cover the sisters' courtyard; which so happens to be where the canary cages are. Now it's a nice cool shade out there, as well as for the classrooms of the school and our refectory - both flanking the courtyard. But I don't think the sisters like it - it's blocking their view from their windows .... well not much of a view anyway, it's just the courtyard.
One troublesome cat gone. This one is from the front courtyard (where the museum and mummy are). It comes up to the altar during Mass, enters the sacristy, even gets inside the school when someone leaves a window open, poos all over the school, slept in Fr Lino's bed and Fr Niccacci's pillow.... in a word an absolute nuisance. Well the superior finally decided to remove it. Again I don't think the sisters (the superior at least) are going to like it - they like the cat (because it doesn't bother them: they live far away behind the monastery) but they don't feed it. And by the way, the cats' ticks are everywhere. Got bitten 5 times already on the legs, so was Sr. Vicenta.
One troublesome cat gone. This one is from the front courtyard (where the museum and mummy are). It comes up to the altar during Mass, enters the sacristy, even gets inside the school when someone leaves a window open, poos all over the school, slept in Fr Lino's bed and Fr Niccacci's pillow.... in a word an absolute nuisance. Well the superior finally decided to remove it. Again I don't think the sisters (the superior at least) are going to like it - they like the cat (because it doesn't bother them: they live far away behind the monastery) but they don't feed it. And by the way, the cats' ticks are everywhere. Got bitten 5 times already on the legs, so was Sr. Vicenta.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
About turn
The US was quick in "absolutely" denying it gave Israel the green light to attack Iran - thus pulling the carpet off Israel's feet. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443739359&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull and http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098425.html So what's next?
Meanwhile the Palestinian top muslim cleric is banning marriages unless swine flu free certificates are issued to the people involved. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098434.html and http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443744354&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
If you yet haven't realised, the Mass readings these few weeks are back on the Book of Genesis. There're pretty long stories for the 1st readings, and many we all know from childhood. But it's always great to read through them slowly and with new eyes, and you'll be wonderfully surprised how many new things there are in the story that you haven't realised!
My ankle still hurts and my feet are still a little swollen. Am trying to rest but not too successful. Did some 2 hours of gardening in the front courtyard next to the Condemnation chapel. Sounds strange doesn't it? It's the place where we recall Christ was made to carry the cross and begin the Way of the Cross. Thousands of pilgrims come here - some cry, some kneel, some kiss the ground, some go barefeet, many imitate Christ by carrying a cross and walking uphill to Calvary. You won't think that I'd be doing some gardening right there on the spot - planting cosmos, petunias, portulacas and some other summer resistant annuals. But I think creating a small lovely garden on that spot will give a tranquil, contemplative space to the otherwise unfortunate turistic atmosphere that some groups carry with them. And of course my greatest worry is not the groups but our porter who has an uncanny disability to recognise a flower and pull it out - "rubbish" he calls it; apparently there's no arabic word for "weed". He destroyed $100 worth of spring plants we planted a couple of months back.
Meanwhile the Palestinian top muslim cleric is banning marriages unless swine flu free certificates are issued to the people involved. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098434.html and http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443744354&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
If you yet haven't realised, the Mass readings these few weeks are back on the Book of Genesis. There're pretty long stories for the 1st readings, and many we all know from childhood. But it's always great to read through them slowly and with new eyes, and you'll be wonderfully surprised how many new things there are in the story that you haven't realised!
My ankle still hurts and my feet are still a little swollen. Am trying to rest but not too successful. Did some 2 hours of gardening in the front courtyard next to the Condemnation chapel. Sounds strange doesn't it? It's the place where we recall Christ was made to carry the cross and begin the Way of the Cross. Thousands of pilgrims come here - some cry, some kneel, some kiss the ground, some go barefeet, many imitate Christ by carrying a cross and walking uphill to Calvary. You won't think that I'd be doing some gardening right there on the spot - planting cosmos, petunias, portulacas and some other summer resistant annuals. But I think creating a small lovely garden on that spot will give a tranquil, contemplative space to the otherwise unfortunate turistic atmosphere that some groups carry with them. And of course my greatest worry is not the groups but our porter who has an uncanny disability to recognise a flower and pull it out - "rubbish" he calls it; apparently there's no arabic word for "weed". He destroyed $100 worth of spring plants we planted a couple of months back.
Monday, July 6, 2009
summer
More talk of war. Is this muscle flexing or is it leading to something real? http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443724418&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull and http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098043.html and the US gives Israel free hand to deal with Tehran if a war does go ahead. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097911.html
Meanwhile I've got back to researching. Pretty detailed stuff, going down to word for word analysis and lots of background reading.
And it's not just my phone that's gone, the prevailing missing mail mystery continues. And I think others have found other things missing as well. Well on the bright side, it's just things that are missing and no violence done to us yet. At least for the moment.
Meanwhile I've got back to researching. Pretty detailed stuff, going down to word for word analysis and lots of background reading.
And it's not just my phone that's gone, the prevailing missing mail mystery continues. And I think others have found other things missing as well. Well on the bright side, it's just things that are missing and no violence done to us yet. At least for the moment.
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