Lazarus Saturday

Fr. Carlos presiding Mass in the Tomb

According to Orthodox Christian tradition, today is the day when Jesus brought Lazarus back to life. The faithful are all gathering in Bethany ... the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus and his tomb called the "Lazarion" to celebrate the event. In fact the arabic name of Bethany is "El Lazariya". Tomorrow all the Churches - catholic, orthodox and protestant - will make the Palm procession from Bethfage down to the Old City through Lions Gate. Police have already made arrangements for the closure of roads and city quarters. I can't imagine the chaos that will result.

This morning I had the monthly Mass inside the Empty Tomb with the Block Rosary Group form Jaffa. However since the superior of Jaffa, Fr. Carlos, had come along, I asked him to preside instead. It's not always that he comes to Jerusalem, much less celebrate Mass inside the Empty Tomb. I remembered you all a Mass there.

Yesterday some extremist Jews slaughtered a lamb very near the Wailing Wall as a "practice" if in case the Jewish Temple be rebuilt in the near future. Very provocative because it's prohibited by normative Judaism ... the Courts have prohibited it and the muslims are certainly not happy with it.   http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.782280

Ultra-Orthodox jews on the other hand are continuing their countrywide protest against compulsory military service. They will extend the protest to the airport. That will disrupt the Jewish Passover travellers. The police lately have staked out undercover agents dressed as soldiers into the ultra-orthodox neighbourhoods where aggressive trouble-makers attacked the agents and other police swopped in to arrest them.   http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4946360,00.html

Banners in the
Christian Quarter

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and as the Catholic and Orthodox calendars coincide, the route of the Palm procession will be packed with people. I certainly don't have the energy to walk the distance. And with the crowds ... I think I'll just stay at home. The streets in the Christian Quarter are now festooned with buntings and banners. Flower shops are selling beautifully plaited palm branches. A large branch would cost US$40 or more. I won't buy one as I won't be at the procession. Yesterday the son of one of our parishioners met me on my way to work and he gave me a leave from his branch ... he was going home with his parents and his father had bought a very large palm ... over a meter and a half tall.

Marathon work

Strong desert storm

I can definitely say yesterday was my record workday ... being a full 48 hours of non-stop work. Never again. People keep coming with emergency requests (actually no one really dies if the work is not done) but I had to run (metaphorically speaking as I can't run) some 5 kms up and down the Old and New Cities.

There was a chinese guide book that "had to" be edited in 24 hours ... and believe the mistakes were titanic in proportion. I worked through 3 drafts and had to go to the Salesian House for the final draft correction. Then there were groups to attend to. Then there were last minute theses to correct because some students wait to the last 24 hours before dateline to start writing it. I corrected a thesis till 2am last night ... horrendous english ... I practically had to rewrite the entire thesis. Between 2am to 5am I had to write a homily for a solemn mass at 8am (I ghost write homilies) but my brain was so dead by then I came up with nothing and had to apologies to the prelate at 5.30am. Hope he had some emergency homily available. Then there were confessions to hear, talks to present etc...

So today I am beyond hope ... I am utterly utterly exhausted. It's just as well that I stay home today because there's a sandstorm blowing since yesterday. Sand everywhere. Not good for my heath. But that doesn't mean I have no work. I still have library and correction work but on a smaller scale. The staff told me to go take the weekend off but that's impossible.

Surprise from M. Teresa's sisters

However in the midst of the most hectic 2 days ever, there was a nice surprise. The Sisters of M. Teresa prepared a little surprise for me: a board celebrating my birthday, singing songs and prayers. No food ... it's Lent. The sisters fast everyday.

The 2nd chemical attack in Syria has crossed every warped conscience in this world. How can it possibly happen ... and how can the rest of the world do nothing about it? Locally the jews say it can and it has ... when Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. Now Israelis are at the forefront in this war with medical aid. They know what it is to be persecuted.

Half day off

The gas attack in Syria yesterday has left us all appalled and outraged. How in this modern age can these dastardly acts continue without impunity ... or the world community can stand by offering lip-service? I tell you what I know ... I know that the victims have lost all hope in the world community, in world morality, in world conscience. They are on their own to survive.

Toffee sponge cake

The videos and news reports have dampened a lot my birthday yesterday. Not that there was a celebration or anything ... but it weighed very heavily on the heart. No one here remembered my birthday ... except for the staff in my library. The janitor lady Magdulin bought a toffee sponge cake to celebrate with the other 2 staff. It was a nice gesture but the cake was too big. I brought the remaining half to the sisters of M. Teresa.

Char Kway Teow

In the afternoon both library staffs told me to take the afternoon off and they will care for its running. They thought I needed a halfday break ... which I did. I wanted to go take a walk by the sea in Jaffa but the traffic was bad. I reached there only at 3.30pm ... so there was not much time for the "rest of the afternoon". After an hour's walk, I reached Thai House ... the best Thai restaurant in the country. I have not been there for over 2 years ... as the manager reminded me. I had my favorite dishes for an early dinner: tom yam soup and char kway teow. It was so good. And for the record, I paid for it with the money I earned teaching english.

After that I walked the whole 4 kms along the beach back to our monastery in Jaffa, said hi to the community, then came back home. Luckily there was no traffic jam.

Stromata

Funny poster for
patient husbands

With my failing memory, I went to school yesterday afternoon only to find out there was no class because exams have started. My memory is appalling. Anyway that gave me the chance to go to the bank ... another branch 1km away ... that I was directed by the head office earlier that morning. Waited my turn for almost an hour, then was told I had to go to another department. Luckily that department had no one and the kind american lady helped me through the whole process. She was very patient as there were lots of papers to check. In all some 40 mins was required.

On the way home I passed by a Judaica shop in the Mall. it had a very funny poster on its window: free wifi for patient husbands while their wives shopped. That really helped lighten the mood.

The ultra-orthodox have continued their protests in the streets, blocking major traffic ways. They still demand no compulsory military service for their male followers.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4944689,00.html

The ultra-orthodox hatred for military service was expressed in their neighborhood several days ago when a soldier went into one of their shops. He was surrounded and attacked by the ultra-orthodox and had to be saved by police.  http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.780989

The leftwing newspaper carried an article on the jewish settlement program inside Palestine ... "occupation" as they call it ... It offers a different viewpoint.  http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.781093

Extremist jews have been carrying out the slaughter of a lamb near the Temple Mount (Al Aqsa Mosque) for the past several years as a practice run for the day when they build the 3rd Temple (after destroying the Mosque of course). This year the police have banned them as it has become too provocative.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/court-blocks-activists-from-sacrificing-sheep-near-temple-mount/

Warm nights

The weather is warming up ... and it feels nice like summer. I noticed many of the Spring vegetables are no longer on sale in the markets ... like chives and mint. Now the herbs of summer are on sale especially zatar (oregano) and artichokes. We're expecting a very hot and dry summer ... and the drought will be bad. And we're also expecting trouble from Lebanon and Gaza. Well militarily the country is prepared for the latter. But the drought ... that is beyond anyone's control. We'll just have to save on water and use less electricity. But that's difficult because the hotter it gets, the more people want to use air-conditioners ... and that uses up a lot of electricity and produces more heat in the atmosphere. What a disaster.

Erhu busker

Chinese busker
playing the erhu

What a frustrating morning. Went to the usual bank branch (3 kms away) last week as requested by the bank. Was told that I had to go to the head office 2 kms away instead. This morning spent the whole morning lining up at the head office till 1pm ... was told I should go to another branch instead. It's like playing musical chairs .... I'm just waiting for the music to stop. I don't know if I have any more patience. It's wasting so much of my time. You don't know how lucky you are back in your country to have efficient customer service.

One nice thing about going up to the head office was passing by Ben Yehuda Mall. This morning there was a chinese busker playing the erhu. He was also selling 2 chinese paintings. Must be desperate. Anyway many locals were intrigued by the instrument and the sound it made .... sad, wailing erhu. Many spoke with him and he was happy to explain the instrument to them. Good introduction to Chinese culture.

Ultra-orthodox jews are protesting again today, blocking the airport because they reject compulsory military service. Passengers are advised to go to the airport early if they don't want to miss their flight.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4943951,00.html

And there's news about a fusion food in China ... it's called baozza ... which is a chinese bao but contains pizza filling. Yuck. I think fusion food is getting too extreme.

Beef submarine and chips at New Deli

Yesterday it rained all afternoon and evening. Well it was more like a drizzle. But it was constant. Though it was about 14 degrees, it felt lower and the sky was gloomy and the wind was cold. Luckily I didn't have to go out. I was stuck at home from 1pm to 9pm ... 9 solid hours of editing a book without even getting off my chair. By 9pm my brain was dead and I was hungry and needed to stretch. My jewish security friend called me to ask if I wanted to go grab a bite; he was working out in the park and was hungry as well. So I went up to the New City to meet him and at 10.30pm there are not many shops opened. We managed to grab a sandwich (actually a submarine) at New Deli and we chatted a lot. It was a late dinner for both of us. By the time I got home it was 11.30pm ... cold and drizzling ... and I couldn't sleep. My brain was still running overtime about editing the index page.

Lazarus Sunday

Lazarus Sunday morning - the tomb
of Lazarus lies just beyond the
tallest steeple in the middle of the
photo

Today is Lazarus Sunday ... the Gospel reading is about his revival from the death. Orthodox and Oriental christians celebrate it on Saturday before Palm Sunday but the Roman Church celebrates it one week before. The franciscans had already made the pilgrimage to Bethany where the tomb of Lazarus is. That was last Wednesday. The muslims control the tomb and make everyone pay US$2 for entry. Daylight robbery. I refuse to go there as a matter of principle.

Anyway I celebrated Mass at the Armenian Catholic cathedral and remembered you all. The armenian crowd is still small. The Salesian and White Fathers' seminarians still come to help out as acolytes and choir. I even had a deacon this morning. The Sisters of Notre Dame (Ratisbonne) came with their novices as well so the congregation was quite big.

My freesias are
blooming

The morning was cool and crisp. People are back in the streets after yesterday's lockdown. It's terrible that a 17 yr old boy from Nablus could come and attack jews with a knife yesterday. He was killed on the spot but for the rest of us living here ... it's the inconvenience of being locked down, restricted movement and City Gates closed. The attack took place a little distance from the 5th Station of the Cross ... about 150 meters from my house.

Yesterday evening thousands of arabs and leftwing jews marched in Jerusalem, calling for peace and the stop of settlements. The govt. had passed a bill to build new settlements in Palestine. They reminded the public that the stabbings are symptoms of the continued occupation and land-grabbing by Israel of Palestinian lands. The right of course argues that there is no such thing as Palestine and the whole land is Israel.    http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.780816

Israel security has warned that ISIS is now moving from northern Sinai to the southern deserts as part of its control scheme. Tourists to Mt. Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery, as well as the Red Sea resort towns of Sharm al Sheikh are all in danger and has imposed a no-go zone.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4943273,00.html

Another stabbing 2 hours ago

Security cameras
throughout the City

Another stabbing attack just an hour ago ... near my house, about 200 meters away ... a little after the 5th Station. 3 injured and assailant shot. What a disaster. City Gates around the Muslim Quarter were closed. More police have entered our area. Now our movements will be restricted. Easter and Jewish Passover will be next week and tensions will be high. More security cameras have been installed ... there are some 260 such cameras all over the Old City and there are over 10 cameras in and around Damascus Gate - the central area where most of the stabbings take place. My jewish security friends immediately messaged me to ask if I was safe. They care for me ... really. Those guys are really great.   http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4943480,00.html

Luckily I had class so I was home. I would have gone out for a walk in this cool fresh afternoon but fortunately class kept me home.  I still have to go back to school and hand over the exam papers. I thought the school only needed the results sheet but yesterday they asked for the exam papers as well. Well there are 41 students and each exam paper is 12 pages. Do your maths. it's heavy.

Right now at the Notre Dame Centre, there is a solemn Mass. The Nuncio is celebrating his 50th ordination anniversary. Lots of religious are in attendance. From the short live video clip I saw 5 bishops also concelebrating with many priests. It looks like the celebration is really  solemn.

Selling green
almonds

Well my turn as hebdomedarius is over. I am a little more free ... otherwise as hebdomerius I am restricted from other work because I must lead in all daily prayers and Mass. Now I must catch up with the workload. The only time I can actually rest ... as I have found out ... is Saturday afternoon. A couple of hours to just close my eyes, rest my brains and painful back. My shoulder has healed, the ligament is no longer inflamed. So one less pain to endure.

In the markets and hawker stalls, a lot of green/immature fruit are on sale. It's a local delicacy .... but it's an acquired taste. Not everyone likes it. Almonds and cherries are eaten while they are small and unripe. It's sour and tart ... and locals like it. For those not used to it, it upsets the stomach. Don't try it.