Feast of St. Clare

Volcano in the City

Friday today was relatively quiet. No incidents. I guess the heat played a major part in deterring violence in the streets. Unfortunately the heat does not deter work in the libraries. We still trudge on stock checking, cataloging and moving books around. In fact there's a lot more to do now that there are no users in the libraries. No holiday for me.

Well it's midsummer and strange things are happening all over the City. The day before I noticed a weird mound above the Armenian building at the jaffa Street Junction. You can't miss it ... it's enormous. That same evening I saw what it was doing .... smoke and lightening emanating from it ... it was a volcano. I don't think anyone knows why it was built there ... but it's Jerusalem and anything and everything can happen. So we have a volcano spewing smoke all evening while pedestrians and trams pass by beneath.

Expresso and spoon

Things are also weird in Tel Aviv ... well things usually are over there. A couple of the brothers and I had gone out for coffee ... an expresso to be exact ... and we landed up with a teaspoon 5 times longer than the cup. In fact we all had long spoons for a "short" expresso.

I've been to our Jaffa house to work these few weeks. It's not a holiday although the change of atmosphere and city is quite refreshing. Still there's lots of work to be done there due to shortage of personnel in summer. But I also have to reside at the Armenian Mass on Sundays so I'll be oscillating between Jaffa, the Armenian Church and the libraries. Summer holiday? Bah!

Poor Clares in Jerusalem on Feast of
St. Clare

Well it's the Feast of St. Clare today ... no holiday for me though everyone else has gone to the Poor Clare Monastery in Talpiot south of Jerusalem. It must have a big celebration. The italian Poor Clares have replaced the french Colettine Clares who suffered from a severe vocation shortage and could no longer serve the Monastery. The Colettines are reformed while the italian Urbanist Clares (as they are called) are not ... yet the Urbanists are very strict with their poverty and enclosure while the reformed Colettines have gone very relaxed. Strange state of affairs. Well anyway today they're united in their foundress' feast day.

Summer madness

Sombreros in the street

The heatwave continues to beat down on us and we're practically in midsummer. I don't know if I can survive more heat for the next 2 months. It's the 3rd heatwave to hit us in a month and with a drought year declared and waters in the Galilee Lake at its lowest so far ... things don't look too good for us. It's so hot even the road barriers need to wear sombreros .... something that can happen only in Tel Aviv.

Tu B'Av was celebrated last Monday. It's the jewish equivalent to Valentine's Day but I noticed it was much more subdued this year than in previous years. Perhaps it's the poor economy that's affecting the people from celebrating. And there wasn't much love going around either. The Israeli army seized and confiscated solar panels from an arab bedouin school even though the High Court issued a restraining order for the confiscation. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.806053

And there's also little love in the Palestinian side when the Palestinian leader cut finance and permits for very sick Gazans from seeking help outside of war-torn Gaza. Absolutely deplorable when politics play with human lives.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-authority-slashes-permits-for-sick-gazans-un-health-body-says/

Armoured Personnel Carriers in
front of Notre Dame

And to top it all up ... this evening I saw armoured personnel carriers rumbling up our main street ... a awful sight ... the last time I saw such war machines on our roads was during the 1st Intifada 25 years ago. It rings alarm bells and jostles memories of the dreadful times. I think the heatwave must be responsible for all this madness today. I shall try to keep way out of trouble and out of the heat. Stay indoors. That's the best advice.

War and Peace

Kaufman road that links Jaffa with
Tel Aviv at 4am

Another exhausting day gone. Thank goodness. I was up at 1.30am this morning because I was afraid I might oversleep ... I had to go to the airport at 5.30am to send off some visitors. However I must first pick them up at their hotel. No taxis at 4am so I had to walk 4 km from St. Peter's in Jaffa to the heart of Tel Aviv. Frightening thought as it's not safe. Big surprise for me to find the beach still with people ... even families with toddlers playing at Clore Park, strolling with prams ... and there was a police car patrolling the shore. It felt safe and I got to my destination safe and sound. By the time I got home in Jerusalem at 10am I was utterly exhausted and slept till now ... 5pm.

Jewish and muslim teens at the beach

There were some tensions the other day in the Old City ... not because of clashes but because King Abdullah of Jordan came for a visit. The Muslim Quarter was under lockdown. Then yesterday there were actually clashes but out in the New City ... not with arabs but with ultra-orthodox jews against the Defense Minister who came to visit. He's been pushing the ultra-orthodox community for mandatory military service (which they have dodged for the past 60 years) and the community came out to throw stones at him and the police. Israeli implosion ... something I've constantly warned. And to add insult to injury, ultra-orthodox jewish women carried Palestinian flags. They do not recognise the zionist State of Israel and believe it is God's Will that they should live under the arabs and only the Messiah can establish a jewish State.

Well such enmity within and without Judaism is not apparent in Tel Aviv, especially at the beach and in summer! Yesterday I saw a group of conservative jewish teens in black kippa (skull caps) playing volleyball with a group of muslim arab teens. After that they shared drinks and cigarettes and took photos together. Peaceful co-existence is possible ... let the younger generation lead the way. The older generation has too much baggage to open new horizons.

And then Gaza attacked Israel with missiles rockets last night. Israel responded by firing missiles back into Gaza. Possibly a prelude to an autumn of violence. http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-jets-hit-hamas-targets-in-gaza-after-rocket-strike/

New tensions

Soldiers in full
combat gear

As the heatwave continues to beat down on us, so likewise the tensions continue to bother us in the Old City just when we thought everything was calm once again. As I was going out to the other library yesterday (yes even Sunday is a workday), 2 platoons of soldiers in full combat gear rushed down our road toward Bab Hutta neighborhood - the place where all the violent clashes took place the past 2 weeks. Roads in and out of the Old City were closed and traffic were re-directed. I had no idea what happened till today when people told me arabs had burned a jewish house in the village of Silwan (ancient Siloam) and clashes had occurred in the surrounding areas.

It's like this here and we're getting used to it .... not knowing when roads and streets will be closed; not knowing if you can go out or come home. Everything is so unpredictable, it's become predictable.

Man with balloons

I'm so exhausted running around in this heat I've become quite sick. Been having severe diarrhea and vomiting out of stress. Well my heart no longer is what it used to be ... with the asthma medicine affecting it badly. It's supposed to be my holiday ... but I am working double the time. I should never take holidays anymore ... they kill me.  Utterly stressed.

But there were funny moments as well. Yesterday I saw this man carrying a whole load of balloons walking down the tram tracks. It was quite funny and people were giggling. When I stopped to take a photo of him, others then had the courage to do the same and snapped photos of him with their cellphones.

Cute bull terrier

Then there was this bull terrier at New Gate ... very very playful. His owner was carrying the leash and he was loose but he kept biting the end of the leash and following his owner. It was all white with 2 black eyes like a panda. I wish I could play with him ... but you never know how owners feel so I didn't try.

Samaria

Archaeological ruins on Mt. Gerizim

The heatwave in Italy and Spain has brought temps soaring to above 40 degrees. This will flow towards us by next week. I can't imagine what it'll be like as 35 degrees now is already unbearable. I have several conferences to deliver next week so I hope I can stay indoors.

This morning I had to make a visit to Nablus in the Samaria region on short notice. It's over 65 kms north of Jerusalem ... in the heart of Palestinian Territory. My worry was having to pass through the dangerous border checkpoint of Qalandya where riots and violence is an almost daily event. Well the taxi driver knew better and entered the Territories through another checkpoint. All went smoothly. Then it was an hour long journey through mountainous wilderness bordering the desert.

Staircase in church leading to
Jacob's Well

Nablus is the arabic corruption of the greek Neapolis (in Italy it became Naples) - the new city which the greeks and romans built in place of ancient Shechem. The city is much more modernised than I last visited it. Lots of high-rise shopping malls ... but the roads were still narrow and crowded with too many cars. Infra-structural renewal is very much needed here. At various corners of the roads and buildings there are remnants of greek and roman buildings or columns or tombs. It's a very historical place but the arabs here don't know how to harness history for tourism and economic advantage. Too bad.

I also visited the Greek Orthodox Church that is built over Jacob's Well. For 2 millennia pilgrims have come here to venerate this site. The Well itself is below the pavement ... a type of crypt. You must descend a flight of steps in front of the altar in order to reach the Well. The well continues to have cold fresh water. It is here that Jacob dug this well and Jesus met the Samaritan woman.

Then there was a short stop over to the convent of M. Teresa's sisters to see their work, give a donation and the sisters packed some curry and bread for my meal as I was journeying all day without food. It was really very nice.

Bethlehem

Restored mosaics in the Bethlehem
Basilica of the Nativity

The past 2 days had been very busy. I had to give several conferences and confessions in various places. However I had the chance to visit the Nativity Basilica and the Milk Grotto while on one of these rounds in Bethlehem. I have not been to Bethlehem for a long while and especially by bus. It was a long ride down to the town of Beit Jallah and then a 1km walk to Bethlehem centre where the Basilica is. The Basilica itself is still under restoration. Most of its remaining mosaics on the have been cleaned and the gold is brilliant. However not much can been seen as the scaffoldings are still in place. There was not much of a crowd lining up to enter the Grotto of the birthplace so I went down and revered the spot where the Word was born and prayed for you all.

Altar of the Milk
Grotto

Then I went to the Milk Grotto some 100 meters behind the Basilica. That's where the Holy Family was believed to have lived for 2 years before fleeing to Egypt. Tradition says the Virgin Mary while breastfeeding the Infant Jesus spilt a drop of milk and the entire cave turned white as a result. Since Byzantine times pilgrims came to gather the white chalk form the cave wall and drank it with water in the belief that it helps miraculously those who cannot conceive. Well it must be working because there is a hall filled with voice offerings and letters and photos from all around the world testifying to the birth of children otherwise scientifically thought impossible. I prayed for you all as well there.

Luckily there were no riots yesterday ... being Friday. It was rather calm and I took the bus back. The weather was hot though ... the heatwave from Europe has reached us and so temperatures were above 35 degrees. I found it very oppressive.

Int eh evening I had to organise a meeting between local catholic youths with a group of chinese youths. It was meeting to exchange experiences. I guess it went successfully off as I did not stay for the whole meeting. I was very exhausted. Well any thought of a holiday is pure fantasy has I still have 2 series of conferences to talk for the next 3 weeks, many more groups to meet in the evenings ... and the non-ending tedious meetings with banks and lawyers. I am working more than on normal working days.

Portiuncula Feast

Walking barefoot
on Tisha B'Av

Yesterday's Tisha B'Av commemoration saw some scuffle that let to the arrest of 3 israelis and 1 arab near the Bab Silsila entrance to the Temple Mount or Al Aqsa compound. Thousands of jews, possibly the first time this century, entered the compound to see the esplanade that once stood the Temple. Not every jew was happy ... the Chief Rabbis and other authorities have forbidden jews from entering the compound because it is not sure where the Holy of Holies once stood and might walk over it ... thus desecrating the holy ground. nevertheless there were numerous zionist rabbis who defied it and called for their followers to enter the esplanade. This of course comes in the wake of the riots the past week when muslims demonstrated violently to show who has authority over the compound. The jews gave a response yesterday. But all in all there was very little disturbance and that was a relieve for all of us.    http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Jews-visits-to-Temple-Mount-jump-15-percent-this-year-501280
and   http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Police-make-violent-arrest-outside-Temple-Mount-501317

Now news is out that evidence seem to point to Iran as the background instigator of last week's riots. Not sure if this is verified but read it yourself.   https://watchjerusalem.co.il/2017/08/02/irans-fingerprints-are-all-over-the-temple-mount-turmoil/

Bro. Nelson and the Pilgrim Centre

Like I always uphold ... the weather plays an important role in all this. With the heat rising above 32 degrees again ... nobody feels like causing a fight out in the sun. I went out to St Anne's Church to visit a student. He showed me the new Pilgrim Centre they had build ... a large hall that serves as a chapel and also a meeting place. Entry is through a vineyard luscious with purple, red and green grapes. I tasted some and they were delicious in this dreadful heat. I liked the place very much.

Sweet grapes at St. Anne's Church

Well today is the feast of the Portiuncula ... or better known as St. Mary of the Angels. It's the little chapel which St. Francis rebuilt with his own hands and a place beloved dearly ... so much that he told his friars ever to leave that place. Rome gave the special privilege of an indulgence not just to visitors of this little chapel but all chapels so named throughout the world ... and in extension to all franciscan churches. I celebrated Mass in our chapel and remembered all of you applied the indulgence to all of you.