Sick

After a very very tiring weekend filled with non-stop work ... I'm now sick with a cold and severe asthma (possibly bronchitis). Painful joints, fever, headache, sore throat, phlegm, dizziness, lost of appetite, fainting spells. Am feeling extremely weak.

Female religious
at the chapel

Saturday started with an early Mass for the Konkani speaking people, 2 baptisms and Lenten talks all day. Ended quite late at night ... I got home around 11pm. Sunday also started early with a retreat in Bethlehem. Over a hundred female religious from the Judah region gathered for the election of delegates for their new federation committee. They were divided into language groups: arabic, italian, english and french. I had to preach the english conference and preside over the general liturgy. Then the afternoon was more work till late in the night. The hot sun but chilly wind made me very sick. Then of course Monday morning means getting up at 3am for classes. Everything has taken its toll.

I'll try and rest today ... if possible.

Trust no one

New Coptic Archbishop enters
from Jaffa Gate

The weather has been extremely erratic ... becoming cold and hot within hours thus making lots of people sick. However Spring is certainly here and flowers are blooming everywhere.

The new Coptic Archbishop of Jerusalem made his solemn entrance into the Holy Sepulcher yesterday by way of Jaffa Gate (status quo entrance). Heads of other churches were there to welcome him. But being very poor, we lent them some of our kawwas (dragoman / Ottoman protectors in traditional dress) to lead the procession and provided also the bagpipe band to lead the march.

Procession going toward the
Holy Sepulcher 

Meantime everyone is disgusted at the muslim fringe that killed M. Teresa's sisters and their co-workers. Though no one will say it openly, we know never to trust them, never to believe what they say.  And no ... we should stop making excuses for them by calling them "fringe", "extremists", "fanatics" , "radicals" because they are not. They are normal muslims mainstream and fervent.  Only the Hindus and Buddhists have the courage to stop these people. Other religions cower and submit.

Spring may be in the air ... but I smell a war coming.

We will not leave

Our friars in Syria

As we are still reeling from the terrible events of Yemen yesterday ... we here in the Holyland had to also make up our minds regarding our presence in the Middle East especially in Syria. Already one of our friars Fr Dhiya was kidnapped twice within a year by jihadists in Syria and another beheaded. Our 4 village parishes are reduced to a few hundred mainly elderly catholics who have no means nor strength to escape. It is difficult for new friars to enter these areas to assist the resident friars who are exhausted psychologically, emotionally and spiritually by the constant dangers, lack of electricity, water, medication and food. It is not fair to demand that these friars remain in these areas.

Aiding syrian children

So our Custos sent an email asking all of us to reflect if we should continue to remain serving in these danger zones. The answer from all of us was practically unanimous: WE WILL NOT LEAVE OUR PEOPLE ALONE. We will stay. We will not abandon the old, sick and helpless to the hands of ruthless muslim extremists. Some of us even volunteered to enter Syria. It is not and will not be an easy mission but we will persevere. And like Mother Teresa's sisters in Yemen, some of us will have to die for this commitment.

I am proud to be a Holy Land franciscan.

Mother Teresa's sisters killed

We just received the tragic news that 4 of Mother Teresa's sisters in Aden (Yemen) were killed by armed men who stormed their convent this morning. The awful tragedy of persecution does not end. Now the handicap and abandoned elderly have no one to care for them. One of the youngest Sr. Reginette was supposed to come to Jerusalem next month to prepare for her solemn profession. I was helping her with the visa arrangements. Now she is dead.

Happy New Year

Miss Bird wishes you
a happy Monkey year

Yes I'm back. Firstly Happy New Year to you all.

It was a bad ending of 2015 and an equally horrid beginning of 2016. Everything went wrong and I was totally stressed out in every way. But the tensions continued throughout these 2 months. At times I felt it's the breaking point ... but somehow I managed to pull myself together. So health wise and life wise ... things are not looking good.

Adding to that is the dreadful terror attacks that occur in many parts of the country but especially here at Damascus Gate 300 metres from my house. Despite the draconian military presence and measures ... utterly humiliating and definitely a source of more hatred ... despite or in spite of these measures, stabbings and shootings continue to occur at the City Gate. Every morning hundreds of arab youths are stopped randomly, spread eagle over a wall and body-searched. At time it's strip-search ... in public in front of everyone. It's humiliating. Anyway the atmosphere in the Old City is awful. It's one contributing factor to my deteriorating health.

Buddy wishes you
a happy Monkey year
too by biting
Moran the Monkey's
ear!

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, my phone fell into the aquarium and it's totally spoilt because I tried to turn it on immediately while it was wet. On the second day my old backup phone was stolen. Third day rain seeped into the library and I had to deal with this emergency. Fourth day a fire broke out in the library reception when the radiator socket overheated. So both the western New Year and the chinese New Year started off bad.

Be that as it may ... I'm still alive. And lucky to have some good friends to support and encourage me. So I'm counting my blessings.

Weekend again

Beautiful colours

It's the weekend and it's unusually quiet the day yesterday. The police and soldiers are less and the tension has been much reduced. Everyone has noticed that the flashpoint for violence has now shifted to Hebron - the traditional site for clashes and uprisings. In fact most of the perpetrators of this month's violence in Tel Aviv and other cities all come from Hebron. The police has decided to prohibit some 2500 hebronites from entering Israel. And now we receive news that the police is also closing off several villages known for producing perpetrators. Not good news. It will only inflame anger and provoke more violence.

Today the violence picked up again with a couple of car-rammings and one stabbing in Nahariya with is near Tel Aviv.

The cold nights and relatively hot days are causing the leaves on trees to change into a kaleidoscope of colours. It feels more autumn than winter. While beautiful on the trees, the leaves cause a lot of mess in the streets. I might collect of these colourful leaves to decorate my table. Perhaps around my Advent wreathe.

Palm Plaza during the day

Yes Advent will begin in 2 days!! Another year has passed. I'll be busy preaching some 5 retreats during this time. It'll be quite tiring. The first one begins this Sunday for the english-speaking sisters of the Judean region. I hope I can find some time to rest. I'll need to go back to hospital for follow-up on Monday and while the course of some medication will end then, other medicines must be taken for another 3 weeks. My stomach is feeling quite sick with this heavy medication.

Sahlab season

Sahlab is back on the menu

The weather continues to be cold ... actually chilly is the word. Lots of people are sick. Tourists are not prepared for this sudden cold. Too bad. I noticed many shops are starting to serve sahlab ... a sure sign that winter is kicking in. I like ti very much but I must order it without the peanuts that tops it. Sahlab is the flour made from an orchid tuber, mixed with milk or water, with drops of rose or orange water or even rose syrup. It's nice for a cold rainy day. I wonder when I'll be well enough to go out and get one.

Much less violence today. Only one near Hebron in the south. Jerusalem continues to be tense with heavy military presence but people are getting used to it and life goes on as usual.

I'm into my 6th day of treatment and the steroids - among them the dreaded Prednisone - is about to finish. My wheezing is over, fluids in the lungs are almost all out though the sinus problem continues to be a bother. No signs of improvement. Nevertheless I've started work. It's tiring as the medication is very strong and makes me tire easily. One of the most tiring is visiting the many groups of tourists/pilgrims after diner time. I have to give them talks. This week alone there are 2000 chinese tourists and not enough chinese guides. That makes my work all the more important to visit them in the night. But that's a lot of work both day and night.