Christmas idol

Courtyard of St. George cathedral

Yesterday evening I visited the Anglican cathedral of St. George. It was wonderfully decorated with christmas lights. The building itself is like a castle with many turrets and towers and a central courtyard. There is a pilgrim house and also a school that offers short-term courses. They have a full hierarchy of clergy ... from bishop to dean of cathedral to priests and deacons .... but their congregation is dismal. It's a small community of local believers who don't attend services even on Sunday. So my classmates who're visiting ... and they're protestants ... went for Sunday service, they were surprised to find only one person in attendance. At the Garden Tomb which is also Anglican, the service was cancelled and the place closed because nobody showed up.

St. George Cathedral

I was feeling very weak today so I decided not to go to work. I've been feeling so overwhelmed by work and other demands I'm just too tired to catch up. I really need to sleep. However today there was class in the afternoon and then some paper work to do as well. And tomorrow morning it's 3am again because I must go back to the doc for my checkup. Instead of weekly, it's now biweekly. Thank goodness because the travel cost is terribly high.

There's an unholy war in the southern city of Ashdod because a shopping mall has put up a Christmas tree and orthodox jews are calling for it to be torn down because it's a christian idol and it robs the city of its jewish character. This jewish identity thing is the usual excuse to rid anything that is not jewish. There is a growing intolerance for non-jewish things and people ... it is becoming dangerous.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/ultra-orthodox-deputy-mayor-calls-to-remove-christmas-tree-from-ashdod-mall/?fbclid=IwAR3V3g3Tu8tdGPLalMX6OKXf9CoRHhsILorCbdYuc9J0L0tCzZMPtMY2L5A

Last week there was a poll which showed jews very worried because half of the country's pharmacists are not jewish. Pharmacy has been the traditional trade of christians in this country for the past 80 years or so ... it started with the Franciscans who started the first medical clinics 800 years ago and taught the local christians pharmacological knowledge. Locals were then sent to Italy to study and they return as qualified pharmacists and this is usually a family tradition.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-poll-shows-strong-anti-arab-sentiment-among-israeli-jews/?fbclid=IwAR3d979d7p1mIa0xqs3Zi0cvuiYbbFSOx6d2StHisaIMdB-AP3L-tPYcvek

Bad news Tuesday

Damascus Gate ... empty and cold

There were 2 more ramming attacks this morning .... one in Hebron in the south and another in the Jordan Valley. Things have escalated from yesterday's attack. For sure security will be stepped up during the Christmas holidays ... perhaps christians from the Palestinian territories may not be granted permits to enter Jerusalem. I am suspecting that all these attacks are meant to disrupt our christian festivities ... to drive a wedge between christians and the State of Israel.

In Iran hundreds of christians have been arrested  as they prepare to celebrate christians.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-said-to-arrest-over-100-christians-in-crackdown-on-conversions/?fbclid=IwAR24eqOTsf8-eubXGnnwsRf8z9hcu6HyzH5xTDSnldXY5Qj2T9fdFuhmeJQ

In Syria over half a million people have been killed to date in the dreadful war ... among them tens of thousands of christians, yezhidis and mandaeans. It is horrific ... but even more horrific is the silence of the world. The news I receive from Damascus by my students and friends working there are simply too terrible to describe.  https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/560-000-killed-in-syria-s-war-according-to-updated-death-toll-1.6700244?fbclid=IwAR1Gy-9nm81tcXlDabbVd_rGcrrQaoIBanpCuY-sc690CQtz9V8Y49DqRfE

The sun continues to shine today though it's only 14 degrees. Lovely weather. Tourists numbers have declined mainly because it's getting close to Christmas and it's a family feast so fewer people come here. Only those brave people who will stand in the rain and cold on Dec. 24th will come for Christmas at Bethlehem. But with all the horrible news that we're receiving .... Christmas is not joyful .... it is but a vague memory for those poor christians hiding and running for their lives, wondering where the next meal will come, where to shelter from the cold and snow.

New week

Sunrise today

Yesterday saw a dreadful terrorist attack ... a passing car shot into a jewish car killing a pregnant woman. Newspapers are saying it's the start of another violent confrontation between israelis and arabs ... and no one really wants it.

The rains have stopped and the sun is up and shining ... but the temp. remains low. Nights are 7 degrees and daytime is 14 degrees at most. It's better to stay indoors where there's heating because though it's not raining, the wind is very cold. It certainly adds to the Christmas atmosphere. The rains of the past few days have flooded highways throughout the country and the first snow has fallen up in the north. Maybe we'll have snow in Jerusalem too ... in a few weeks' time.   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/flooding-shuts-down-major-israeli-highway-first-snow-falls-in-north-1.6724235?fbclid=IwAR3oNGHp6sQ9j103JYG4QaQwYYZM9v7wAyvf2_eD22lIlBMhmK7ZLYltEU8

Jerusalem Old City at 4am

Yesterday evening I had a delightful reunion with some of my classmates from 37 years back in College. All are married with children and they had come on a private pilgrimage. We had a lot to catchup ... one is a lawyer, another an executive and another a banker. We shared news about other classmates and found out how far we have all been dispersed. Some are in America and Canada. And how diverse our lives have become from College days. I was told that next year our College will be celebrating its 100th anniversary and the alumni will beginning in a festive dinner. Well I won't be there but I told them to send me photos.

In a bizarre protest, commuters who are fed up with various protest groups blocking the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, organised through Facebook a blockage of the same highway.   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5422517,00.html

Immaculate Conception feast

Deacon Pushpa Raj helping me inside
the Empty Tomb

It rained all day yesterday and the temp. dropped to 7 degrees. It was also the feast of the Immaculate Conception and I had 2 Masses to celebrate in succession in the Holy Sepulchre basilica: 1 at 5am on Mt. Calvary for M. Teresa's sisters who were renewing their vows, and the 2nd at 5.30am inside the Empty Tomb for our expat community from Jaffa. It was a rush from the place of the Crucifixion and down to the Tomb. I think I'm the only priest in the world who could celebrate Masses in both places in chronological sequence of Christ's crucifixion and burial.

American friar
preparing for Mass

To get to the Basilica on time, I had to leave at 4am in the dark, cold and heavy rain. I had a sustained asthma attack on the way up the hill. The sacristans in the basilica were very good to me and made sure I was alright when I reached our sacristy in the basilica. The basilica was empty ... not one single tourist or pilgrim. The Armenian Orthodox were singing their liturgy in the Empty Tomb and that was all. In the sacristy an american friar was preparing for the first Catholic Mass at 5am inside the Tomb once the Armenians complete their liturgy. It was such a tranquil atmosphere ... something Ive not experienced before inside the basilica all these years.

For my 2nd Mass I had my student Deacon Pushpa to help me. He's a very quiet hardworking seminarian ... very humble. I'm helping him with his final thesis before his ordination as priest.

After Mass I had a Bible class with the Jaffa group. Then it was back home in the rain to clean my room and settle some documentations. Being a feast day, our school and libraries were closed so I had more free time. I also pruned our bushes and tidied my flower pots as most plats have died in this cold winter rain. All in all it was a slow day and I recovered from my asthma.

Today I had the Armenian Mass and what a surprise. Not only did our Armenian twin seminarians came to help me sing and read in Armenian, a newly ordained deacon (my former student) came to help serve the liturgy and 4 other seminarians showed up. Well they confessed they got up late for their conventual Mass so they came to my Armenian liturgy which starts at 9am. The rain and cold was just too tempting to stay in bed.

Another rainy day

Wet quiet street in the New City

I just found out that the sun sets at 4.34pm .... and rises tomorrow at 6.27am. A bit of useless information ... but interesting for me as I never knew that. I usually go by the call to prayer of the muslim imam at Al Aqsa Mosque. The minaret is directly opposite my windows I cannot but be aware of it. It's so strange that only a few months ago in summer the first call to prayer was at 2.45am and in a span of 5 months it's now at 4.30am. It's almost a 2 hr difference in 5 months.

Anyway it is still raining since yesterday. That's wonderful because we need the rain. Tel Aviv and the coastal cities were inundated .... saw the videos of streets underwater; the river Yarkon overflowed into the highway and train tracks. Jerusalem however has only heavy drizzle ... but that's better than nothing. It's the cold that's getting to us ... 8 degrees at noontime. Well it's winter so we should expect it. I wonder if there'll be the Way of the Cross this afternoon ... I guess there will be.

Jaffa street is cold and wet

Tomorrow is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. I have 2 Masses to celebrate ... one at 5am on Calvary and another at 5.30am inside the Empty Tomb. It'll be quite a rush from one to the other ... but then who can say he celebrated Mass on Calvary and then down inside the Tomb all in one hour?

Well I was out in the rain to buy flowers for our chapel. Our sisters are too busy to go and buy. Poor things hardly have time to rest. I hope they can take a week off to rest and let us do the chores instead. They deserve a nice relaxed Christmas.

Heavy rain

Damascus Gate in
the rain

It rained hard early this morning ... at 4am there was thunder and lightning and then for the rest of the morning it swung between shower and drizzle. In the afternoon it was more shower than drizzle and this continues till now 8.30pm. Bedouin women who brought their vegetables for sale laid their products out in the rain ... the vegetables remained fresh and washed. Shops on both sides of the street raised awnings and tents. They know full well that people sheltering under their wings will eventual buy something from them.

The temp. fell to 10 degrees though I noticed in Tel Aviv it was 16 degrees. The coastal cities had much more rain than we did ... in fact cities like Rehovot was inundated. Kindergarten children had to be saved in dinghys. And the forecast is more rain for the next 3 days. I wish I could sleep through all this ... the perfect weather.   https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5421035,00.html?fbclid=IwAR3jEuu3iU6XMGidj3nhfxEDiRRKmJ6cwtc1GoAgGZBViF4de42LPQvZq3U

On the contrary I had to work all day today. Thursdays are as bad as Mondays. Besides the usual paper work with the lawyers and banks, I had class and then confessions/adoration with M. Teresa's sisters. I was quite wet from going back and forth for the various work. Luckily the sisters had heaters turned on so my clothes became dry quickly and I did not catch a cold.

Students enjoying sushi

In the afternoon, I had to take 3 of my students of English out to lunch. They wanted so much to try sushi so I brought them a corner shop for some. They loved it ... and they got to study english as well. I wasn't letting them go without teaching them life-situational english.

The demonstration on Tuesday in support for more legislation to protect women from domestic abuse grew so large and the tension ws so high, the Israeli army could not contain the thousands gathered in the march in Tel Aviv and just let them do their own thing. Many private and govt. companies, institutes and agencies allowed their employees to take a day off to march in support.   https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-after-this-week-s-protest-against-femicide-women-in-israel-can-dream-1.6722054?fbclid=IwAR1SbPFFWez2dKh9a0YBnI4xEQgUw79lI61nulQi7KiBYWCUcgoJOVMKhuc
and
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-army-op-couldn-t-hold-back-outrage-over-inaction-on-violence-against-women-1.6719520?fbclid=IwAR0Vi3AyGXCqSRUCRsKP1zbkNb_A4UCw4NxEX-PJHrkWrVHE5LlW0_nbKjI

Burbara

Burbara

Yesterday was Dec. 4th which is the feast of St. Barbara ... and as local tradition dictates, we ate burbara. It's wheat grain and dried fruit and nuts boiled in syrup ... and they throw in M&Ms, twinkles and other sweets on top as well. It's always the sign of the start of Advent. And we plant beans on that day so they grow tall like grass on Christmas Day and we put them around the Christmas Crib like grass. Years ago kids used to dress up in costumes not unlike Purim (jewish feast) because St. Barbara, an early christian martyr, was dressed in disguise to escape her roman persecutors. Well much as I like barber ... I didn't eat any because there're nuts in it and I am allergic. Wish our sisters would cook some without nuts for me.

Paul's doctoral defense

This evening our student Paul from India defended his doctoral thesis. Our Crusader hall was quite crowded with fellow students and his friends who came to encourage him. Paul is very hardworking and studies everyday in the library for all the years that he was here and I as director of the library. He deserves a good grade and I'm sure he'll be a great professor when he returns to India to teach.

Meantime there's consternation in the country as we learn the Lebanese terrorist Hezbollah who dug tunnels into northern Isreal had meant to capture Metulla the northern most Israeli city that borders Lebanon. And they would have succeeded if the IDF did not first discover the tunnels and blew them up. Our security is challenged and we must be more on our toes as the war has now gone underground ... just like in Gaza and its tunnels.

And on the 4th evening of Hanukkah, no controversy against non-jews can pass without some headlines. This time Israeli media jumped on a Catholic Newspaper for reporting on Hanukkah but putting up a picture of the Arch of Titus sculpture of Roman soldiers carrying off the Menorah as booty to Rome. A case of christian ignorance more than malice ... but the Israelis consider it a slight and insult. Remember Hanukkah is the celebration of the Jews defeating the pagan Syrians from Israel, the enemies who sacrificed pigs on their sacred altar and brought in idols into their Temple. And now the Catholic Newspaper puts up a photo showing jewish defeat by pagan romans who sacked the Templea and looted all its treasures to Rome. Well ... more anti-catholic attacks in our country for sure in the next few days of Hanukkah. Thanks to Catholic ignorance .... Now we'll have to disguise to go out like St. Barbara.