I just heard a shocking news that my '93 classmate Fr Javier Velasco had a stroke. We don't know how serious it is, but we hope it's something he can recover. What's shocking is he's much younger than us who were from the same class - in fact he was the youngest. And he was made monsignor and Vicar General of his diocese just 3 months ago.
All the talk today was centred on this ... and this lead to the memory of another friend Cesare Colombo, an antiquities collector and old friend from also back in the '90s who died. Today is the 4th anniversary of his death.
Someone said that life is so short and we never know when our turn is. Like the rest of us didn't know already. We're all waiting our turn. I at least have already chosen my site in the cemetary.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Catholic saves muslims
It has now been revealed that a lowly Catholic janitor saved hundreds of muslim students in a female university in Pakistan back in June when he blocked a suicide bomber from entering. He's a hero they say .... but that's just about it. His widow and mother and baby still live in squalor and discrimination, and he doesn't even have a proper tomb.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Where do we go?
A powerful article that dares to say what every one is thinking but no one is saying. Carlo Strenger / The world is sick of Netanyahu's lack of policy - Haaretz - Israel News
Instead of peace, everyone knows war is approaching. Just this morning the news was that gas masks will be re-issued to everyone in January 2010. Alot of belligerent talk against Iran.
So where are we heading?
Kids from Musky
Received news from Fr Vincenzo in Musky (Cairo). He sent the photo (right) of his Musky "tribe" - the group of very poor children who are receiving aid from you. They came to take this group photo for me to say "Happy Feastday"... which is so sweet of them. But bad news is baby Abdel Masih (see photo right below) is ill. He couldn't come for the photo shoot. But from the photo, the rest of Fr Vincenzo's tribe seem happy and lively. Thanks for helping these children - it provides them with at least one meal a day, medicine and clothing. This is truly the most meaningful gift for my feastday - to see how you have "clothed the naked, fed the hungry" as mentioned in Matthew's Gospel. May God say to you one day "Come good and faithful servant into your master's joy".
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
feast of St. Leo
Today is the feast of Pope St. Leo the Great, who happens to be my patron saint. So it's my feastday today. It was a terribly hectic day but the superior wanted me home for lunch so the community could celebrate with me. I was 2 km away from home so I had to cut short my work and rush home for lunch.
Khalil the cook and Nadia the assistant were fantastic. They surprised me (well I knew more or less what they'd cook because they know my favourite arab dish) with a vegetarian makloube - we call it "upside down". That's when you put veggies at the bottom of the pot and then rice on top: boil to cook without stirring. When cooked, you turn the pot upside down and the rice comes out with the veggies on top. Smashing delicious! Or as Jamie Oliver would say - "wicked!". Anyway this year's vegetarian makloube was excellent (last year was really great but this year's outdid it). Everyone loved it. Then Khalil baked 4 large chickens with mushroom and olive stuffing. Mind you, no one has ever got such a main dish for their feastday as long as I can remember! After that the nuns in the kitchen baked two lovely cakes (no cream as they know I don't like cream) - sort of sponge cake (polish version ..... hehehehehehehehe) with apple sauce in the middle. Actually they wanted to make ponschki which I really like (doughnuts stuffed with jam) but they had no time. Then after that the superior whispered something to the kitchen and they brought out two bottles of champagne!!! Now that is even a bigger rarity since we only have champagne on really big occasions like maybe twice before, as long as I can remember! One of the guys on my left was so happy he said I should have a feastday like this more often!
I thanked the vicar and the superior after lunch for this special treat; and also all the other guys and collaborators for their well wishes - and to you all who sent your greetings. The community really made me feel at home and appreciated - that's why I love this community. I'm glad I'm here.
Monday, November 9, 2009
US$153 tax
20 years ago the Berlin Wall fell. I remember walking around that area in 1995 - grey sombre buildings with no character or soul. I had dinner at our monastery in Pankou and the friars were telling me stories when the wall used to stand. But the wall fell. Which brings me back to Our Lady of Fatima .... she promised it. Russia has converted, she is Christian again. But war still means to be everywhere. Maybe we need to practice more her recommendations - First Saturday Mass, devotion to the Immaculate Heart, rosary etc....
Here in Israel I'm going through hell because Customs and the Tax Office insist that I pay taxes for packages that people send to me. This time it is US$153 taxes. I don't know who sent the packages, containing what. They're holding all my mail until I pay up. So I haven't been receiving mail for some time now. Then again it could have been stolen ... stolen mail is a very common thing here. But why should I pay US$153 for personal things? I can bet you the things in the packages cost less than the US$153 tax. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME ANYTHING. Thanks for your kind thoughts but I'm going through purgatory and more with the Customs and Tax office.
The Berlin Wall may have been pulled down but there're still some walls that still need knocking down.
Here in Israel I'm going through hell because Customs and the Tax Office insist that I pay taxes for packages that people send to me. This time it is US$153 taxes. I don't know who sent the packages, containing what. They're holding all my mail until I pay up. So I haven't been receiving mail for some time now. Then again it could have been stolen ... stolen mail is a very common thing here. But why should I pay US$153 for personal things? I can bet you the things in the packages cost less than the US$153 tax. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME ANYTHING. Thanks for your kind thoughts but I'm going through purgatory and more with the Customs and Tax office.
The Berlin Wall may have been pulled down but there're still some walls that still need knocking down.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Our Lady of Fatima
Chinese is the big hit in town. Everyone wants to study mandarin, eat chinese food and learn kung fu. But like the following article says - Israelis and Palestinians love chinese because of economic reasons ... they know the next economic superpower is China and they're jumping in before other do. See http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1125541.html
There're 5 new chinese restaurents in Jerusalem. One is "River" and serve noodles - very swanky and chic place. Another is Sheyan which serves also South-East Asian food. But even though I pass by these restaurents many times, I never dare to enter as they look very expensive. There's a very tiny restaurant call "The Little Chinese" and it has only 2 tables for 6 people to sit. It's mainly a take-away place. The price is lower than the "Mandarin Restaurant" which is HK run and has been around since some 20 years, the oldest Chinese restaurent in Jerusalem. But I've never bought anything so far.
This morning ... like 3am actually ... the usual attack of asthma came and I couldn't sleep. So i decided to watch EWTN and they were showing a new version of Mary's appearance in Fatima. It's an Italian production and the costumes are very lovely and rustic. But dubbing the film into english didn't make it look good. Anyway I was thinking, how come the Catholic CHurch has paid so much attention to Our Lady of Lourdes (almost all churches have Lourdes grottos and statues of Our lady of Lourdes) but you never find a statue of Our Lady of Fatima? Yet the Fatima message was more important in terms of it's political and religious significance than Lourdes; the urgency for conversion and prayers and sacrifices for political change and the reality of hell. She said "The war will be over soon and the soldiers will soon return" - how many families are waiting to hear these words today? I think we need a revival of devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. In Fatima she is the woman warrior, the one who steps on the head of the serpent, the climax of biblical heroines like Esther, Judith, Deborah. Somehow we do not like such an image of strong women characters and prefer the demure, "feminine" image of Lourdes, safely tucked in a grotto. The reality of hell and death was taught to the children in Fatima, the violent attacks on the Church .... in all its fury, not in some sweetened version. Jacinta and Francesco died very young. And there's war .... lots of war .... but it will end if humanity repented and prayed. Here in the Middle East, that's what we need to hear.
Why not do something to remember Our Lady of Fatima today? Pray the rosary, make a sacrifice today, read a book on Fatima, watch a film on Fatima.
There're 5 new chinese restaurents in Jerusalem. One is "River" and serve noodles - very swanky and chic place. Another is Sheyan which serves also South-East Asian food. But even though I pass by these restaurents many times, I never dare to enter as they look very expensive. There's a very tiny restaurant call "The Little Chinese" and it has only 2 tables for 6 people to sit. It's mainly a take-away place. The price is lower than the "Mandarin Restaurant" which is HK run and has been around since some 20 years, the oldest Chinese restaurent in Jerusalem. But I've never bought anything so far.
This morning ... like 3am actually ... the usual attack of asthma came and I couldn't sleep. So i decided to watch EWTN and they were showing a new version of Mary's appearance in Fatima. It's an Italian production and the costumes are very lovely and rustic. But dubbing the film into english didn't make it look good. Anyway I was thinking, how come the Catholic CHurch has paid so much attention to Our Lady of Lourdes (almost all churches have Lourdes grottos and statues of Our lady of Lourdes) but you never find a statue of Our Lady of Fatima? Yet the Fatima message was more important in terms of it's political and religious significance than Lourdes; the urgency for conversion and prayers and sacrifices for political change and the reality of hell. She said "The war will be over soon and the soldiers will soon return" - how many families are waiting to hear these words today? I think we need a revival of devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. In Fatima she is the woman warrior, the one who steps on the head of the serpent, the climax of biblical heroines like Esther, Judith, Deborah. Somehow we do not like such an image of strong women characters and prefer the demure, "feminine" image of Lourdes, safely tucked in a grotto. The reality of hell and death was taught to the children in Fatima, the violent attacks on the Church .... in all its fury, not in some sweetened version. Jacinta and Francesco died very young. And there's war .... lots of war .... but it will end if humanity repented and prayed. Here in the Middle East, that's what we need to hear.
Why not do something to remember Our Lady of Fatima today? Pray the rosary, make a sacrifice today, read a book on Fatima, watch a film on Fatima.
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