Thanks

Thanks for the swift response to Abdel Masih's mother:

Edith Cheung, Letty and May.

Thanks also to Faith Tours (S'pore) that organised a collection of daily necessities for the poor here in the Holyland.

Bad News

Received some bad news from Fr. Vincenzo in Musky. The mother of baby Abdel Masih (see photo on right column) will probably die while carrying her unborn baby. Please help in anyway you can ... prayers and financially for her operation and care for her babies.

".... Unfortunately I some some bad news. Last month the mother of Abdel Masih returned to her home village to visit her parents. There she suffered a heart problem. She was sent to hospital and put into intensive care.

I visited her at the Italian hospital several days ago. I spoke with her doctor. She has no chance of living if she is not operated on immediately.

The doctors decided to wait 2 months for her baby to be born, then she will be operated. The chances of her surviving is 50%."

Do something beautiful for Christmas, help a dying woman and her unborn baby. You can contact me or Fr Vincenzo directly.

2nd Sunday of Advent

The anticipated rains did not come. We're still waiting. Heavy storms we're told .... let's wait and we'll see.

Meantime more rumours are circulating that Gilad Schalit will soon be released. It must be terrible to be his parents worrying about his safety. It should never happen to anyone ... friend or enemy.

And Amir Khan (muslim) did it again ... whammo and slammed Salita (Jewish) into history. Like the report says, Khan is a pound for pound killer. I think the boxing ring will see more stuff from him in the coming years ... but also foresee early retirement. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/12/05/boxing.amir.khan.salita/index.html

We begin the 2nd week of Advent, with readings foretelling the promise of God's loving care coming to fulfillment. I certainly hope your Advent is an experience of God's loving care. Have you actually sat back and counted your blessings? No really ..... I mean it. Just take 15 minutes off whatever you're doing and write down the things you should be thankful for.

Better

There's forecast for a very wet Monday and Tuesday next week. I certainly hope so. We need the rain.

The computer seems to be playing up again ... not getting started, closing off windows automatically .... Must check to see if there's a virus.

My asthma is alot better compared to last week. The bloat is less, but the swollen joints are still around.

The sisters of St Vincent de Paul and Mother Teresa thank you all for your generous gifts to their orphans and needy. I'll post a message from them in the next blog. Watch this space!

Today

Pretty tense today when a group of Jewish tourists came out of the Western Wall Tunnel - the exit is directly in front of our monastery gates - and arabs boys began to throw stones at them. Security began chasing the boys ... luckily no one shot. I was in the street at that time and had to duck into the door of Ecce Homo convent to avoid the stones and possible gunfire.

Meantime attacks on christians continue - Jews who believe in Jesus call themselves "messianic Jews" rather than Christians as the term is derogatory among Jews.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259243066926&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

I was feeling quite upset living in such a violent and anti-Christian place ... when I met my jewish scribe friend Eli who brought back the wonder, awe and specialness of living in the Holyland. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Ripped off

So my mobile was stolen in Greece this summer. Got a replacement but the store preset it to break down within 4 months. Didn't know that ... when went back to the store that offered to "replace" the s"spoilt" one. Ended up paying US$200 more for the replacement and found out I lost all my information like phone numbers, credit, messages etc. RIPPED OFF.

3 Chinese windchimes were sent to me. Cost no more than US$10 total. Israeli Customs and Excise wants me to pay US$100 tax for them. Our lawyers fought to get them released. Ended up paying the US$100. RIPPED OFF.

I'm so no good at this game called "life". People are constantly taking advantage of my ignorance and fear to make money. Easy victim, easy prey. But there is a God that sees and punishes.

Da pacem Domine in diebus nostris, quia non est alius. Qui pugnet pro nobis, nisi tu deus noster. (ancient hymn .. try and figure it out).

1st Sunday of Advent

So ... to those who still don't believe that Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream is Jewish and kosher - read this: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259243012251&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Another Sunday. Didn't have time to clean much of my room though because I'm hebdom this week and had to preside the 8am Mass. But had enough time to do the basic stuff and .... setting up my Advent wreath.... which is no big deal. It's some green paper wrapped over wire. it's the cheapest thing I could get. And there are no purple candles so I got a weird white/orange/yellow type of candles (actually they're Sabbath candles). So my Advent wreath is really a hodge podge of stuff I gathered.

I managed to watch just a bit of my usual Sunday Christian movie. This morning it was based on the Great American Depression; how an American father had to leave town to look for a job, leaving his wife and 3 children back home. Then in a workers riot, the father gets blamed for seriously striking an official (which of course he didn't do) and ends up in jail. The mother gets all worked up but no giving up faith in God. The 3 children decided to run away and search for their father. That's all I saw. I'm sure it had a good ending.

Last night in one of my attacks of asthma, I could not as usual go back to sleep so I watched TBN (the protestant web TV which also broadcasts catholic programmes). It had a short film about a black american man who would not speak to his aged, stroke-stricken father because many years back he was embarrassed by his father who worked as a baseball clown (he provides the laughs during the intervals). And this guy was also angry that his father always spoke about striking out the legendary Babe Ruth. The film was set in the days when black segregation was still much alive in the US. He kept calling his father a liar. Now he has his own son, and he's trying to train his son to be a successful baseball player. His son secretly visits his grandfather and gets caught one day by his father. Then ... of course like in Luke's gospel ... angels show up and transport them all back in time when they witness how the old man (young back then) did actually strike out Babe Ruth in a unofficial game. But because of black segregation, this was never recorded nor taken seriously. The man regrets and reconciles with his father, and wins back his son. Happy ending.

Sounds like a simple story but I guess it does speak to us - about how we brand people, blame them even when we do not know the whole truth, that the truth sometimes is stranger than we think, people who are fixed with success and destroy other people's lives along the way.

This afternoon I had a meeting with the Custos. Its the only time we can meet because he is so busy and has no other time. We talked about Javier our classmate. And word had gotten to him that I was not well. He was pretty tough with his words, that I must go to hospital and stay there at least 3 days, get an operation if necessary (which he changed his mind when I reminded him what happened to Fr Piccirillo when he was operated). Anyway it was nice that he cared.

And so we enter into Advent. How are you starting this season? Try going on a retreat.