Allegra feastday

Blessed Gabriele Allegra

This morning I didn't have to concelebrate the community Mass at 7am. Instead I was asked to celebrate Sunday Mass for 2 groups of filipino pilgrims that both did not have priests with them. There were about 60 persons in all, all squeezed in our tiny chapel. They had 2 operatic singers who led in the Our Father and Communion song. It was wonderful. Today is also the feast day of Blessed Gabriele Allegra. He was the main mover of translating the Bible into Chinese. He was also a professor of Scripture here in our Jerusalem university. I hear another miracle has been confirmed so his canonisation will be soon.

The rest of the morning was spent cleaning my room. I didn't have lunch as I still feel quite ill from the wheezing and coughing. The air pollution is bad, high in desert dust. I must stay indoors with doors and windows closed. Each time I go out, even to our terrace garden, I start wheezing and having difficulty in breathing. I have never felt so weak for such a long time as these few weeks.

Walking the dog and cat

I had a wonderful surprise this morning while going to the supermarket to get some necessities this morning. The wife of the Greek Orthodox priest was walking her dog and cat. The dog was on a leash and the cat was running beside the dog. A very cute sight.

A piece of news coming in. Jewish settler terrorists have shot dead an arab tending his olive trees. More and more violence against arabs and their property are being reported. But little is done to protect the arabs. The settlers have license to carry guns.  https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-palestinian-shot-dead-while-tilling-his-olive-orchard-in-terrorized-village-1.6874514?fbclid=IwAR1l0v9Wowp5l1x36sSTdGQFxH0iO7rTA_3Ixpv-e7NcBe1jzSh4TtPg5J0

Ana other dreadful news that no one is reporting: 85 thousand children below 5 yrs have died of starvation in Yemen in 3 months. How can the world ignore this? The following article is in italian.   https://www.lastampa.it/2018/11/21/esteri/la-strage-silenziosa-della-fame-in-yemen-morti-mila-bimbi-in-anni-sotto-i-anni-AZGx4nl9eSfQbIaUCW1CGI/pagina.html?fbclid=IwAR1jRocOT0TBTY0LvYuZekAYKN7rvr9JhK_UqtrKoeOuXjXKqN7OhmsWe5I

Saturday sunshine

Sunrise today

Had a busy day today with preaching a morning retreat and then meeting a former student to instruct him on a  project, then rushing home to correct an article before confessions with the nuns. I was hoping for a less hectic day but work is work. The weather was warm ... up to 20 degrees at noon. Still the wind was chilly. Spring flowers are opening everywhere ... narcissus, anemones, ranunculus and of course the scented almond flowers. Lovely to be outdoors and stroll in the park, smelling the strong floral perfumes. Before long the hot summer months will be on us. I rather like that ... it means summer vacation is coming.

Today was not too quiet. There were the weekly clashes at the Gaza border. But today jewish settlers tried to destroy arab olive plantations and when the arabs came out to protect their property, the settlers shot and killed one arab. At least that's what the Israeli army says.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-said-killed-others-hurt-in-clashes-with-settlers-soldiers/

Anti-christian jewish protestor

Today is also the last day of the Christian Unity Prayer week. Different denominations have been hosting the ecumenical prayer meetings all week. However yesterday at the Last Supper Room where the prayer was conducted, jews gathered to protest, saying christian worship is idolatry and directly below is the Tomb of David which is defiled by such idolatry. Of course the police did nothing to stop those jewish protestors. If it were christians protesting jews, it would have been called antisemitic and everyone arrested. Contrary to what the PM is telling the rest of the world, christians are being persecuted in Israel ... not in the measure of Syria or Iraq, but nonetheless vicious and bigoted by jews themselves. And for everyone's information, the empty box dropped with cloth is NOT the tomb of David ... and any and every archeologist and historian will testify to that. It was a lie to prevent muslims from destroying the Last Supper Room because muslims also revere David. But the lie was taken as truth by the ultra-orthodox jews who today defend this room as sacred.

In this line, leftwing newspapers are calling out the jewish public for keeping silence when jewish terrorists kill or destroy non-Jewish lives and property. But if an arab committed the same things to jews, there would be uproar and outrage ... collective punishments, destruction of arab homes, withdrawal of citizenship and expulsion to the West Bank. This is the case of the jewish minors arrested for killing an arab woman. Rabbis and ministers rushed to protect and exonerate these suspects, one rabbi going as far as to call for more killings of arabs.   https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Where-is-the-National-Religious-outrage-about-Jewish-terror-578600?fbclid=IwAR2nH_Rqp5MVm5Bjk0_EEkuEML4jTtb6WL-ZwYM0UtCDwhcfnDhmoewRMhY

Tense Friday

Pigeons at Musrara this morning

It's Friday and it was tense. There were riots and protests at the Gaza border in the south. I guess security was afraid it might have spilled into the City so there were more police patrols and stop checks.I had gone to Tel Aviv for a checkup to see if I needed to change my medicine as my asthma was weakening me. It appears that there's a virus going around affecting the respiratory system in many people and also there is much desert dust in the air ... so my asthma attacks are caused by exterior causes which can be controlled if I wear a mask or just stay indoors. I did realise these few weeks that if I stayed indoors I stopped coughing and gasping for air. And I'm trying my best to avoid large crowds. I don't want to catch any ailments.

Healthy sea breeze at Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv was warm but people still dressed in pullovers. In the shadows, it can get quite cold but under the sun, a T-shirt would have sufficed. The air is much better there, no desert dust or city pollution. The sea breeze is constantly blowing the pollution away. And the waves were quite high and strong. I felt better going there and only had one coughing spasm. I needed the fresh air so much to clear my lungs. If only I had more free time to come here and rest and recuperate. Last summer I barely had a vacation ... with the 2 operations and weekly checkups.

Northern Israel suffered an earthquake yesterday. People were rattled and scared. The govt has warned again of a coming massive earthquake which is long overdue. That reminds me I have to repack my earthquake kit and replenish my medicines, water and emergency stuff.  https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Residents-of-Israel-reported-tremors-and-explosions-possible-earthquake-578586?fbclid=IwAR23isHPTua03_4rdmj9CgGQioTVc-3_sg0DdbCDm2sGsgYkJXevwwsx7EM

A polish Benedictine nun on the Mt. of Olives has died. Nothing remarkable except she was born a jew and as a child was on the run from Nazi killers till she came to Israel and became a nun. Polish and local newspapers carry articles about her amazing life.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-the-holocaust-survivor-who-chose-jesus-1.6872407?fbclid=IwAR2cDGN9Gxi7QZOqk6Gg9Fh2VRkSoZ4vuDAeGEgsWjIGQBvcDHgAYNIcKzM

Jewish settlers have again chopped dow arab olive trees .... it's a crime as olive trees take decades to grow and is the basis of life for the arabs ... providing oil, fruit and wood. Yet as the newspaper reports, the perpetrators will be protected by the rabbis who control political and public opinion.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-the-sadists-who-destroyed-a-decades-old-palestinian-olive-grove-can-rest-easy-1.6870077?fbclid=IwAR0GLsow3Uducs0XJIxWRqaSEJhwBMnEhfBMmo4bQIFJ6hZII6NTkZgWV_Y

Stromata

Sun behind Damascus Gate

The weather continues to be sunny but cold ... but not as cold as last week. Last night was 7 degrees and daytime was 14 degrees. Quite bearable. I wear a T-shirt and a warmer and a thick hoodie. It's quite enough.

This evening I met with one of my former students ... an ethiopic seminarian who left last year. Still faithful, he serves as acolyte in the ethiopic rite and helps translate the sermons if the priest is not able to speak amharic (like me). But he is not paid and is working part-time. This evening I saw how few clothes he had ... not enough for this winter. He was very cold. And he had only one pair of shoes. And he hadn't eaten. He has become so thin. I brought him to Arab Fried Chicken and gave him dinner. Then brought him home and gave him 3 of my thickest winter coats. And 2 pairs of very good shoes to withstand the wet and cold. Now I'll see if I can find him a job. He's a bright fellow. And what struck me was how christian and kind he was ... he never spoke one negative word against the church or community. Instead he thanked them for the 4 years of education he had from the seminary.

Busloads of muslim pilgrims

Our northern border is gearing up for a Syrian attack. Threats were made by the syrian rep. at the UN and Russia has warned Israel from any more bombings in Damascus. Israel has been covertly bombing Syria's military depots the last year ... mostly Iranian weapons and personnel. Last week several iranian technicians were killed by the bombing. They vow retaliation. And we're taking these threats seriously. War is no fun.

Sadly Trump's cutting of UNHCR aid to Palestinian refugees in Israel means many will have no food, medicine and even school and jobs. It holds hostage the Palestinians till they agree to accept his peace plan. It will be a two State plan but Israel will hold the upper hand.   https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/with-the-loss-of-u-s-aid-palestinian-dreams-of-peace-move-even-farther-away-1.6866397?fbclid=IwAR11wFvvmaxRZsYq50pJicgzpDeptUaD8DFSG1VZ8VyBi0D2iOuEZIsN74Q

Full moon

Warm sunshine today

It's already midweek and January 2019 is almost over. The weather has warmed up a little ... 14 degrees at noon. Winter is over and Spring has come. The Lunar New Year is in 2 weeks' time. Time is flying real fast.

Much as I wanted to rest, there were errands to run, This morning I had to go to the stationary's to get lots of stuff for the 2 libraries. Then it was the usual meeting with lawyers and banks for simple payments of books and magazines. Then a quick rush back home for class, missing lunch. I only had lunch after class at 3.30pm. Then it was checking on the work of the librarians before correcting homework. Am feeling utterly overworked and tired. Everyone I meet say I look haggard and exhausted. I am. I need a break.

Full moon

Last night I saw the full moon over Damascus Gate. It was an amazing sight ... but being winter, the moon rises a lot higher than at summer, I could only take a photo of it from a long way off in order to capture the Gate as well.

On the surface, life goes on and all seems to be calm. But up north tensions have reached a climax when today Russia lost patience with Israel's bombing of Syria and warned Israel to stop ... otherwise ...... That is a pretty scary threat. Down south at Gaza, Israel has withheld Qatari financial aid because a Gazan sniper had shot an Israeli soldier yesterday. This will lead to more tensions and violence.

Meantime racism is still alive here. A local hospital bus will not allow arabs and jews to sit in the same bus to this hospital. Before arriving, arabs are required to leave the bus and only jews will be driven in. Arabs are also not allowed to enter the same entrance of the hospital with jews. This is appalling.

Collapse

Chinese group at 1st Station of Cross

It's Monday and it's still cold. Noontime was only 6 degrees. Still groups especially asian groups coming to visit. As usual I had class at 4am which means I have to wake up at 3am to prepare. Then it was work right through. One of our workers didn't show up so I had to substitute her to open he library and stay at reception until the others arrived. Then it was a rush up to the other library. I had several meetings ... but halfway up the hill in the alleys, my asthma became so bad I almost collapsed and blacked out. Luckily I was near the Spanish sisters' convent and a spanish friar had just finished Mass there and came out from the front door. He saw me and quickly carried me into the convent where the sisters gave me hot water to drink. After 15 minutes I felt better. The spanish friar then accompanied me up to the other monastery and told me not to go home immediately but wait several hours till I felt stronger.

Anemones from my garden

I didn't have much time to rest as I had a lot of meetings with our lawyers and finance dept. It's unbelievable. I counted the number of hours spent waiting for people, waiting for bureaucracy, waiting for banks to answer phonecalls ..... from 10.30am to 4pm sharp with no lunch or toilet break. It is a nightmare!!!!! I felt so weak and sick by 4pm I walked home hoping to sleep ... only to find out we have a house chapter (meeting) at 7pm. Let it be on record ... today I would have worked 18 hours flat while very sick.

Things have escalated very quickly at our northern border. israel once again bombed a syrian target and Syria is preparing to attack Israel. Russia, the godfather of Syria, is not amused with Israel's incursion into Syrian territory. Anything can happen now.

And the other big news is the super blood wolf moon eclipse yesterday. It's all over the newspapers but I didn't see it. Too tired. Hope i'll sleep immediately after the chapter.

Arbor Day

Sunrise over the City today

Today is Tu b'Shvat ... arbor day in Israel and also the beginning of Spring. Almonds trees have begun blossoming, anemones also opening their buds. Some people spend the day planting trees while others like school children are taught about ecology and the flora and fauna of Israel. It's amazing how a little education can change the ecological landscape. A case in point: the wild anemones were once plucked by locals to near extinction. Then a programme was launched to educate children about preserving these anemones, and in turn the children spoke about it to their parents. Plucking stopped and the wild anemones today are flourishing as ever.

Lots of cake

The weather is still cold but sunny. There is something in the air that is causing me to cough severely. It started last week with the severe sandstorm which unfortunately I had to face when going out twice to work. It caused a severe coughing spasm ... and I was just recovering from the bronchitis ... and it has persisted till today. When I'm indoors I'm quite all right. But once outdoors I started coughing. It might be the desert dust/sand still in the air.

This morning I had to run an errand in East Jerusalem. I passed by Natalie's Cakeshop run by my friend and stopped to say hi. He has a lot of cakes now in the shop. I was tempted to buy some home but realising it won't help my coughing, I passed it off. Maybe when I'm better, I'll come back.

The situation in our northern border is worsening. After Israel's bombing of Syria's arms depot in Damascus last week ... today Syria fired missiles into Israel's northern border. Israel's defines shield managed to down the missile before it landed.

Israel on the otherhand is making headway in restoring or initiating rapport with muslim states. Most Arabian Gulf states and north African states have or are ready to recognise Israel. This will isolate the Palestinian Authorities and weaken their position as less muslim support will be garnered.