Tuna sandwich and war

Thanks to Sr Emilia's group, I could buy a nice bun for Sunday breakfast - something I stopped doing over a year ago when bread now costs over US$1. Went to my friend's shop "Everyday" and bought a tuna sandwich. It's the only day of the week that I eat breakfast ... well, actually twice a month to be exact ... since I only have half a cup of coffee and nothing else. Arik my friend makes the sandwiches himself. And it cost 10 shekels which is about US$2.

On a sombre note, yesterday saw the first test of Israel's military in the face of Palestinian violence. At the Qalandya checkpoint between Samaria and Judah, Palestinians held a demonstration against Israel which the IDF responded with might - closing down the checkpoint. Some of Motehr Theresa's sisters who came out of Samaria to Jerusalem could not return home and had to spend the night at their Jerusalem convent. Lucky for them I had extra fish curry cooked and brought them over for their dinner.

This morning during Mass, military helicopters were flying very low above our place. Everyone was buzzing that there's problems in the Mosque. No one was optimistic about this week. We all expect some form of violence.

As things get heated up this week, the govt. is considering declaring emergency law to clamp down on violent demonstrations. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-mulls-emergency-laws-to-handle-palestinian-riots-in-west-bank-1.385065  But of course these  laws apply only to arabs and not provocative rightist Jewish settlers who equally create the violence.

So Friday 23rd is the day to watch. Whether or not the UN votes for Palestine, some form of violent reaction is expected .. if not from the arabs than from the jewish settlers.

Stigmata of St Francis

Opening of school year at Ratisbonne. Accompanied Hidri as he was alone. He was anxious over financial matters so I had to try settle his nerves. Poor chap. Anyway I need to find 5000 euros to finance his studies, food and lodging in order for him to be a priest. He'll be the first Ethiopic Catholic priest here in the Land if he succeeds. You might remember him as the refugee seminarian from an older blog. So if you can help, please do. This is an urgent appeal.

Anyway at the inauguration of the school year, I had the opportunity to meet some of my old students. They're into 3rd year now. And I'm very proud of them. Many professors say that they are the best batch of students the school ever had. Everyone from the class except Chuen the American Vietnamese was there. He's still in America. And Boris from Africa came in a football sports-shirt ... but the inauguration was a formal affair! He didn't bat an eyelid and felt comfortable as he was. That's how much confidence he has.

So far nothing unusual has been happening despite the rising tensions that you can feel in the streets. Police on horses now patrol East Jerusalem ... the horses are taller and larger than cars. People tend to walk faster at Damascus Gate, avoiding direct looks.

The markets are selling the last harvest of figs and peaches. The peaches are huge but not very tasty, being the last batch on the tree. So are figs, which are much smaller. Prunes are almost over by now and the short season for limes is defnitiely over. Wish we could get bottled lime juice. It goes well with everything. Anyway yesterday I tried to make fish curry ... must say it tastes pretty good. Cooked it for Valerian from S'pore and Praveen from India. I can't eat it myself as my stomach still ends up in cramps and diarrhea.

Today we remember the Stigmatisation of St Francis. He received the 5 wounds on Mt. La Verna during a vision. It's a reminder that we all have to carry the wounds of Christ ... to be a christian is to be wounded for love and by love.

Time

As next Friday Sept. 23rd approaches, jitters are overwhelming the country. Israel is proposing another solution other than statehood for Palestine. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-israel-will-agree-to-upgrade-of-palestinian-status-not-statehood-1.384716  Today soldiers were dressed in war fatigues throughout the Old City ... a frightening sight. Seen all that during the 1st and 2nd Intifada.

Unrest at Israeli embassies in Amman and Istanbul happened as expected. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/thousands-protest-against-murderous-israel-in-turkey-and-jordan-1.384702  Let's hope it doesn't spread. It's distracting from the main issue at hand.

Meantime groups have trickled to almost nothing ... fear of war. The feasts of Yom Kippur and Sukkot will not help much in drawing in groups. One just has to remember the violence during Sukkot 2 years ago.

Students are returning slowly as school starts in a few weeks time. For the new ones, it's an exciting start to a new adventure. For the old ones, well it's another year of trudging. Ilie, Vasile and Thiago were all married a week from each other.

So the summer holidays are ending. The weather is changing. Autumn strides in and we're all waiting for the change from Daylight Saving Time to normal time. It should be Oct. 2nd. I think Palestine has already switched. Time stops for no one.

Our daily bread

Regional tensions escalade like dominoes falling. Now Jordanians are protesting against the Israeli embassy, just like in Cairo. Israel is pulling back it's embassy staff for safety. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-orders-evacuation-of-israel-embassy-in-jordan-fearing-violent-protests-1.384512

And locally, fears of violent riots following the expected declaration of a Palestinian State is sending jitters throughout the country. Both Israeli and Palestinian armies are getting ready for the worse. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-okays-pa-s-acquisition-of-antiriot-gear-ahead-of-un-vote-1.384530

And the strike by the Medical workers continue. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/doctors-sue-israeli-medical-association-over-botched-finance-ministry-deal-1.384536  However I managed to secure my appointment with a doctor on Sept. 26th. That's after my surfer friend, Ron, taught me to be "an Israeli when dealing with Israelis" ... meaning bang on the door till they either open it or the door breaks down. It worked.

Yesterday was a very busy day ... alot of rushing around. Had to be careful because I realised my diarrhea is not over. It comes almost immediately after I eat anything. That's not convenient when you have to go out and work. And talk about eating ... in the midst of rushing around and not eaten for 22 hours, my friend asked if I wanted to eat anything - we were out in another city. I wanted a cappuccino (Israeli style with lots of cream ... yucks). He then asked if I needed to eat, not drink. So I said a piece of bread is good ... eyeing the sandwiches in the store window. He came back with a cappuccino and 3 slices of plain, whole-grain bread served in a swanky dish! I laughed my head off. He took me literally ... and the Cafe was so surprised by the request for plain bread that they gave it free of charge! Actually I was more touched than surprised by my friend's action. He really cared for me. He didn't think of a sandwich because knowing my stomach problems, he thought I was referring literally to plain bread that would settle the diarrhea instead of a complex meal of sandwiches. Now that's a real friend. And we both shared the bread over two cups of cappuccino. And that was the best meal ever ... served with love and concern.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Over the Old City

Tensions are rising as Turkey sends warships to confront Israeli navy blockading Gaza. Not a nice piece of news.   http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=237670

Mid-autumn festival has passed. Here we don't celebrate it of course. Usually it coincides with the Jewish feast of Sukkot (Tents/Tabernacles/Booths) but due to an additional month added to the calendar, this year Sukkot falls a month later. Anyway here are two photos of the full moon in our Land.

Over the City walls

School begins at the Salesian Seminary. Yesterday I brought Hidrimariam over to start 1st year Theology. It's very exciting for him. And thanks to your donations, he can continue his priestly studies. However it's still not sufficient to cover his food and lodging at the Seminary. More generous donors are welcome.  Another student also moved into the school ... a Maronite from the village of Jish. That's the arab name of ancient Gischala where it is believed St. Paul's parents came from.

Managed to clean my room. Took 3 days. Well I'm not as energetic as before, and get tired easily. Asthma had been quite bad these few nights. The night before, after an attack, I took a walk on our terrace. Then up in the starry sky I saw a shooting star ... ok it was more probably a satellite. But it was amazing to watch this dot of light moving across the sky ... from below Orion to towards the north. The Disney song "When you wish upon a star" (Pinocchio) came to mind. Lots of nostalgia.

Day of grief

Yesterday was a day of international remembrances - the 9/11 massacre in America, the tsunami in Japan, the Bali bombings ... It was a day of grief for all. But the Sunday readings shed new light - it challenges us to forgive. Fr Massimo who preached the homily yesterday spoke of the sacred link between God and man, and man and man ... the link of forgiveness. May this chain never be broken.

I'm drinking lots of milk now as it helps stop the pain of the ulcers in my stomach. However it gives me diarrhea. You just can't win. The diaphragmatic hernia is causing less pain as I am careful not to assert force. So all in all, things are not so bad. And to cheer up a day of sadness, here's a photo of the portulacas planted on our terrace.

Forgiveness Sunday

Today's readings has as it's theme "forgiveness". Here's a thought from Dag Hammerskjold: "Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who ‘forgives’ you—out of love—takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice."


And here's a reflection from Fr Foley sj : "The real motivation for forgiveness is loving gratitude. If someone has had pity on me out of love, then my authentic reaction will be deep appreciation. I will want to pass the gift on. Especially if God has forgiven me, I will want to give to someone else the liberation I have received, especially if that person has hurt me."