Another week

The monastery
kitchen garden

Yesterday was a busy day ... waiting. There was much work to do but there were also meetings to attend and projects to discuss. The weather was wonderful though so walking from one place to another was great ... except that I get tired very easily. I can feel the physical weakening much more marked these last month as the fever and pain continue. Tomorrow is my 3rd operation in the series and I'm a little nervous. The last time the sedation created problems in my breathing ... like an asthma attack. That sparks a panic attack which makes breathing even worse. Let's hope for the best tomorrow.

Preparing for Mass with my students

This morning I had Mass with my english language students. It was in a new chapel that I had never seen before ... well I hardly know the seminary monastery as it's out of bounds to non-residential friars. Anyway it's good to see my students responding at Mass in english, doing the readings and practicing their english. After Mass they invited me for a cup of coffee and it was then that I saw the kitchen garden below all neat and tidy. It was for all these 20 years a messy patch of ground with weeds, crumbled timber and snakes and scorpions. It was always out-of-bounds to all of us except the kitchen staff. But now it's all planted with daisies and calla lilies, vegetables and herbs. And the old grapevines are still there. Absolutely lovely ... and the best part is now we're allowed to enter it. I could spend hours and hours doing gardening there. Instead my present house is a concrete jungle ... pure stone and concrete except for my few pots of flowers. I miss the grass, I miss the trees and flowers ... the open spaces with wind blowing and scents of wood and flowers.

There's been a storm brewing in the coming elections when in response to a TV star the PM was saying Israel is a State for only jewish people, thus denying its arab citizens of the same rights. Today Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot waded in the controversy but siding with the TV star. It's frightening what the PM said especially now that he's creating a coalition with extremist far-right parties for the next govt.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5476850,00.html   and https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-belongs-to-jews-alone-netanyahu-responds-to-tv-star-on-arab-equality-1.7003348?fbclid=IwAR3QMf3HHaRbPl7IkWH4qFPpex9Lx1ijpFnrx0uSIT06dhrW4aBR1LUEGy8

Lenten Vigil

Bright blue sky today

Busy day started early. Preached a recollection at 8am then meeting the Vice-Custos at 10.30am then the Bishop at 11.30am. Then it was working in the library checking thousands of data entries. I'm almost blind. Then there was another meeting at 4pm with Milan university and then another at 5pm. Came home at 6pm totally exhausted. My side has been excruciatingly painful today and the fever has not subsided.

Anyway I found a recent photo of our seminarians. There are so many they have been divided into 3 communities. There's simply no room for all in our main seminary. And that's going to be a very impressive show at the Holy Sepulchre when all show up for the Lenten processions and vigils.

Our seminarians this year

Yes it's Lent and the Lenten rigours have started. This afternoon was the first solemn procession of the Archbishop into the Holy Sepulchre followed by the procession in solemn mode. Then tonight at 11.40pm there's the Lenten Vigils ... Office of Readings plus procession around the Empty Tomb. Then when it ends at 1.30am, there's Mass on Mt. Calvary. Then tomorrow at 8am there's solemn Mass at the Altar of Mary Magdalene. Our students will be involved in all these celebrations so they'll not be sleeping much. Poor guys.

I'm not sure with my fever and pain I'll be able to join in Vigils. I shall try.

There's a report on the local papers that persecution of christians are expected to rise this year worldwide. But you can be sure no one will talk or report it. It's almost expected that the Church be attacked. And the sadder thing is fellow christians remain silent. Or indifferent. Until they themselves get persecuted.  https://www.jpost.com/International/Persecution-of-Christians-likely-to-rise-in-2019-report-warns-582829?fbclid=IwAR33DFioYEmr9UGc-XI9tjc2J8p3tXR7ibyqkdsu8w-hXvQO3SRBbyj3kQA

Anyway with the coming elections, word in the street is there'll be a war with Gaza or Lebanon soon. It's the usual tactic ... so they say ... to frighten people to vote for the incumbent. It's sad that humans lives will be sacrificed for political gain.   https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Will-war-between-Israel-and-Hamas-break-out-before-elections-582517?fbclid=IwAR0maQbNKXAi8-dd5L8abP3k86igECSFhotqUOJBXVU7NdgvP1SNZqOSO3o

Tense Friday

Crowded Suq

What a tense and chaotic Friday. Israeli Police were expecting tens of thousands of muslims to enter the Old City and pray at the Al Aqsa mosque ... and eventually demonstrate. Though claiming not to raise the number of police, I've certainly seen troops marching through our streets before the noonday prayer. And the muslims coming into the Old City was certainly in the tens of thousands. I decided not to stay at home and went off to my other office 1km away in the jewish side of the City. Coupled with the jewish takeover of 2 houses behind ours, and the ban on 140 muslims (including mosque administrators) from entering the Old City, tensions are very high. Muslim leaders called for calm and no violence ... and luckily they were heeded, though demonstrations did take place at Lions' Gate and along our street. Anyway streets along the Suq (covered market) were packed with locals and tourists who tried to avoid Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter.   https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-forces-gird-for-fresh-violence-as-tensions-mount-in-jerusalem-gaza/?fbclid=IwAR0mL7FwxwJEdEjTdlsrDnAtNQLe9_2tFhZaW3JE4myMefL3xGWEjPNeN-s

Well the jewish side was equally in chaos. Hundreds of ultra-orthodox jews protested in the streets of the New City and scuffles ensued as they protested the arrest of one of their followers for not reporting for compulsory military service. Then at the Wailing Wall, orthodox jews fought with liberal jews and women who wanted equal rights to pray there. Police had to come in and separate the groups. The jewish implosion could not get worse today.   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-ultra-orthodox-jewish-feminist-international-women-s-day-western-wall-wailing-wall-jerusalem-1.7001785?fbclid=IwAR2qTUsdfoOM2QwQiTt9R4v7HfyBYSG4CmETJZingtCoBFGdyrjQo7ejqcY
and
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5475304,00.html?fbclid=IwAR0iYGRy6HCr0ke1Pz7qkPv6GSDhKeM4XKE_J0wnRW_0ryWX_3vcaCXQoY0

Side street restaurants

My day out of the Muslim Quarter was a good break. After work, I went to the Last Supper Room for lunch as the superior there invited me. It's a small community and most were my students. After that I decided to take a long walk home through the jewish and armenian quarters, through the alleys and side streets. It was a nice change from walking through the dirty crowded streets of the muslim quarter. So a tense Friday turned out to be a nice break for me.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Cold, damp and very tense

Tensions are very high today especially around our house because a jewish family moved into a house bought over from an arab family. Arab neighbours are protesting and the guy who sold the house was arrested by the Palestinian authorities. The jewish family on the other hand is protected by security guards. And their presence is causing more tensions since the street is very narrow and we have to squeeze pass these security guys to get to Herod's Gate.  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-jews-move-into-controversial-muslim-quarter-house-in-jerusalem-s-old-city-1.6999657?fbclid=IwAR15I3ZlLWZ0GMSOGNQxIyCKerCeNnkMJ1GDrPBU6SLBOw8E1qvhdqlOKUA

Pedestrian mall at New Gate

Tomorrow we're expecting violence as these 2 events, plus the Israeli police decision to recluse the Gates of Mercy and rumours that a synagogue will be built there will inflame muslims. Things are expected to enter the Old City tomorrow for Friday prayers ... and demonstrate. And right now, hundreds of jewish rightwing yeshiva students are marching down our street ... the monthly provocative march through the Muslim Quarter to show they are the bosses here. They blare music to disturb us and spray graffiti on our doors and walls. They spit at us if we go out. That's why there's a curfew in our streets overtime these marches take place. All muslims and christians must stay indoors for their own safety. And they stop purposely at our door and stay there for 20 minutes blaring music and shouting to disturb us. What a way to start Lent.

Meantime renovations at New Gate have finally ended. The donors and Municipality chiefs came to inaugurate the event by cutting a ribbon. Now it's mainly a pedestrian mall with automatic barriers that allow only residents' cars to enter. It'll boost christian business and tourism in our Christian Quarter.  https://www.janglo.net/component/option,com_adsmanager/page,display/tid,462815/catid,99/Itemid,361/?fbclid=IwAR0dgHNoV1-rcJ9VhbUo5PVc5d9HcRyTQETC1TiMD_A5OKNgdS95uIoCq_0

We just read that Bolivia is closing down all it's McDonalds restaurants. Here in Israel Kentucky Fried Chicken is reopening it's first restaurants after shutting down for a decade. MacDonald's here is not doing well. It's all about kosher laws.

Ash Wednesday

Drizzly night with reddish clouds

It's Ash Wednesday. Lent has begun. It's a day of fasting ... so it's lentil soup. I might just do the Desert Fathers lenten diet ... dates and water. I was told dates are good for my health situation. Anyway the docs have ordered that I keep a vegetarian diet from ... like 2 weeks ago. No meat allowed or oil. So dates should be fine for me. My vegan friends are very happy ... to say the least. Our kitchen staff has been very kind to me and provide a large stock of veggies and fruit. I guess I can also eat boiled or steamed fish ... otherwise I'll get very bored with meals.

Purple freesias &
yellow daffodils

Well anyway it's the perfect diet for Lent. And as for penance ... the unending fever and pain is the deal. Anyway we had ashes distributed this morning. The Mass was long ... one hour including homily. Most of us who start work at 8am and only half an hour for breakfast and travel to work. What a rush.

And what a downpour yesterday .... so many places were flooded from the north to the southern desert except Jerusalem. There was only slight drizzle all day there. Roads in there best of the country were closed off or blocked. Cars were stranded and desert wadis changed course due to the torrents.  https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5473994,00.html
and
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5473215,00.html?fbclid=IwAR3saAAHAOF2fAz5MdXqYjAlzG1Q1MT1quehesz-4J6kBZL-kxLXSOSfJQs

And we've been warned a plagues of locusts will invade the country by Passover because the heavy rains are conducive for those insects to breed. It's a Passover plaque all over again. Anyway a local rabbi has the solution for it ... eat it. It's kosher.    https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Delicious-locusts-With-swarms-imminent-one-Rabbi-offers-a-tasty-solution-582357?fbclid=IwAR0FbvaOiWK3MxvmWzu3GfIpI67dl1OUfT422e_E5Uld1MeIwG1VnQkQ03M

Tourists are back

Sunrise today

The past 2 days had been hectic hence the tardiness in updating the blog. Sunday I was out the whole day and Monday as usual is filled with classes from 4am to 4pm. Utter exhaustion. All I could do when I got home yesterday was sleep. I am no longer as strong as before and fatigue easily. Still with fever and pain. But the weather was great though ... very sunny but cold. Max. temp. for the past few days was merely 7 degrees. Winter doesn't seem to want to go.

Tourist groups being briefed at
Damascus Gate

Tourists have been coming by the swarms again ... picking up from last year's cancellations. And this is very unusual because February is the low season of tourism due to the rains, snow and short daylight time. Today the tourists don't seem to mind that. I noticed that many groups now stop at Damascus Gate and are briefed by their guides there before entering the Old City.

Well the weather has changed again ... right now it's drizzling. The sky is very dark and we're expecting rain for the next 72 hours. Wish i could just go to sleep in this weather ... but there's so much work to do still. This morning I had to accompany one of our indian sisters to the dental surgeon in Bethlehem for an impacted molar. It was a one and a half hour surgery but it was successful and we came home by 12pm. We had to take a taxi because public transport does not pass by that way. Let's hope sister will recover soon. And that reminds me I'm due for my operation on March 12. Scared. I go alone to the Tel Aviv hospital. The first time I was operated on last year, I came home by taxi but was robbed by the taxi driver as I was still partially sedated. He dumped me at Jaffa Gate and went off with 600 shekels ... double the amount for the ride. I need better planning for my next op. to avoid another unpleasant situation.

Tensions have been rising in the Old City because America closed it's consulate for the arabs, and the police are determined to reclose the Gate of Mercy in the Al Aqsa mosque. The car ramming that injured 2 soldiers yesterday didn't help ... and jewish graffiti calling for the deaths of arabs are found sprayed on walls. Iranian military have pulled up to the border of Israel and Syria while Gaza was bombed yesterday by Israel for firing incendiary devices into Israel ... destroying a school. This summer will not be a quiet one.

Buddy's egg

Buddy laid an egg

The storm has tapered off to a drizzle by yesterday evening but it's still very very cold. Maximum day temp. is only 9 degrees and lowest temp. is 3 degrees. But though the storm is passed, it left a trail of confusion and chaos. The valleys to the west of Jerusalem were flooded by swollen streams, with cars and trees dislodged and swept downhill. School children were stranded and needed the military to rescue them in school. And the separation wall in Shufat refugee camp collapsed, leaving a gaping hole between Israel and Palestine ... much to the joy of the palestinians. Tomorrow is forecast to eb bright and sunny ... but the rains will come back on Tuesday onwards. Ash Wednesday will be a dark cloudy and cold day with heavy drizzle. Fitting weather to start Lent.
   https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/jerusalem-separation-wall-falls-after-storm-residents-celebrate-1.6977728?fbclid=IwAR3Jtp9xpSx-jV5GdXQz3TzpOudmX8-V-dp47fyiFDbe_S8zhWGUwC9lEcc

Buddy inspects her
egg

I had a wonderful surprise yesterday after coming home from work. I was exhausted and in pain with fever and laid down to rest. Buddy flew down and snuggled under the blanket. After a while he got out and I found he laid an egg. Buddy turns out to be female. And it was a large egg ... the first for Buddy. She was afraid of it and didn't know how to brood ... and I have no incubator ... so I guess hatching the egg is not possible. Poor Buddy is now a little subdued ... not sure what had happened. Laying her first egg must have been traumatic. She slept with me all night. I guess without Chilli around, she is quite lonely and confused. I'll have to keep her company just as much as she keeps me company.

I am easily fatigued nowadays. And I realised I'm taking double the time to walk the same distance. Slowed down a lot. No more energy. I wonder if I'll be strong enough for the coming operation.