Feast of St Anthony

So the week begins with a massive earthquake in the Nicobar Islands - 7.5 to be exact. Every week one earthquake large enough to be over 6.5. Scary.

Last night there were 5 immense searchlights beaming into the Old City from the Kidron Valley. But I don't think it's military strategy ... rather I think it's part of the light and sound show around the City walls. But it shone right into my window - kept me awake till midnight. And yesterday we saw a warning on the flashboard across the highway saying the Old City will be closed off from 9am to 6pm tomorrow. Don't know what is up. But it's worrisome.

Today is the feast of St Anthony of Lisbon (Padua) and patron of the Holyland custody. There was a solemn Mass celebrated at St. Saviour's parish. Very crowded. Prayed for you, Antonio. Better come visit soon and pay homage to St Anthony in Jerusalem.

And talking about St Anthony (patron of lost things) - I'm beginning to lose my memory. Don't know if St Anthony helps recover memories. I have only vague memories of my college days, no names, no faces. Visited the HJC reunion page and saw photos of classmates whom I cannot remember at all. Total blank. It's like the aftermath of a mental earthquake. I have no memories. St Anthony ..... haloo?

Question

The Old City is open again today but the guys here tell me of riot police in full gear rushing down the street during the Way of Cross, frightening people - "the lights of which we never saw since the 2nd Intifada". There certainly is tension.

Summer time is certainly hitting us hard - soaring temperatures of 37 degrees. Our superior has raised the tent to cover the courtyard to cut the glare and heat.

Yesterday I saw a lovely doberman playing in the park, with its puppy. Wish we could keep one. But we don't have a garden large enough.

The recent natural disasters have been the topic of discussion around our place - the floods in America and Europe, weekly earthquakes ... and the inevitable question: What is God trying to tell us?

World Cup

World Cup fever has fired up. Almost every house in the neighbourhood (actually the entire country) has a flag whose country they support. By far the most, I can see it's Brazil. Then comes Germany. Kids are kicking footballs everywhere in the alleys to parks to shopping malls. The Holyland has stopped ... due to football. Last night's 1st match (SA vs Mex) - pilgrims and tourists packed hotel lobbies to watch and refused to eat dinners! Ah well ... as long as football stops violence and hatred ... I guess it's a good thing.

Talking about violence, yesterday the soldiers closed off the Old City again. Rioting had broken around the E. Jerusalem side and an arab driver was shot dead after he ran over 2 Israeli police. Don't know how things will be today. Must be careful.

short update

Have been extremely busy the last few days. And unwell.

Yesterday saw lots of military planes flying overhead. Don't know why, but it sure caused consternation among the people here below.

Thanks for all the stuff passed on to me - including the chiffon cake.

June 4th

Yesterday the Pope arrived in Cyprus. Hot and humid. The tiny Catholic community must be thrilled.

While we read that strong and widespread reactions took place around the world against the Gaza event, here in Jerusalem at least, nothing has happened. People here are tired - tired of fighting, shooting, killing. They just want to go on with life - to eat a meal, walk in the streets safely, go to school, exercise a trade. We just want a normal life. There was no reinforced military presence here except yesterday during Friday Muslim prayers. But things continued as usual.

A couple of days ago Israelis here celebrated the centenary of the agricultural Kibbutz movement. Roads were closed in the New City from Mamilah Park - school children and farmers in ancient tractors paraded down the major thoroughfare - King George Street. Pretty festive but for the traffic, it was a nightmare.

Bishop Padovese R.I.P.

Came home late tonight totally exhausted and hungry (haven't eaten for 24 hours), when one father told me Bishop Padovese was murdered. I was so shocked I almost fainted. It's absolutely terrible. Bishop Padovese was a franciscan capuchin whom I knew - young, only 63 yrs old. He was the Pope's rep. in Turkey and he was killed by a turk. No country in the Mid-East except for Iraq has a record of killing christians like Turkey. I can't believe BBC actually announced that Istanbul is a European Capital of Culture ... culture of what? murdering christians??? The Turkish police claim the murderer was psychologically ill (the driver of Bishop Padovese) - I know the bishop would have been too prudent a man to hire a sick person. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10228730.stm 

Heatwave

Coming home from work yesterday I had a terrible sense of deja-vu ....  it all seemed like the 1st and 2nd Intifada again. I was warned about the volatile situation in the Old City and I had better go home early because walking in the dark might be dangerous. Yusuf insisted on driving me back for safety, at least to Damascus Gate as his car probably won't be able to enter St Stephan's Gate. But Damascus Gate - the market place of the arabs - was deadly quiet. A couple of old men selling fruit and bread ... no one was around to buy their stuff. Inside the Gate, shops were closed, a dozen Bedouin women sat by the steps selling their vegetables. All along the street from Damascus Gate down to my house, and up the Way of the Cross - all the shops were closed due to the strike to protest against the attack in Gaza. It looked and felt so much like the 1st and 2nd Intifada ... strikes, curfews, empty streets.

Yesterday afternoon a friend Habeeb came to see me and announced his wedding on the 27th. He came all the way from Haifa ... like 3 hours drive away from the northern end of Israel! I told him a telephone all was enough but he insisted on coming. Zaki, our common friend (Habeeb's best friend) also came along. I brought them to lunch at the chinese restaurant, and had the terrible temptation to eat fried rice. Tasted real good. Have stayed off carbos for the past 4 weeks. Suffered the consequence later in the evening. Nausea, dry throat, thirst, dizziness, ended up with diarrhea.

The heat is just overwhelming. Not just during the day which was like 32 degrees. In the night it was so hot I couldn't sleep. Had to turn on the fan, which didn't help. Went out on the terrace to grab some fresh air and noticed several other guys were also awake (3am) with their lights on. The heat must have got them too. Either that or the muezzin had waken them up ... the first call to prayer (muslim) begins at 3am ... real loud.