Time flies

my Echium bush

 Another week has passed. And the end of April is upon us. One third of 2026 is ending. Time flies. 

And time flying past is evidenced by the little Echium Candicans bush I gave the Ivrea sisters. It was barely a 6 inch stalk struggling to survive. Now planted on the ground, it's a hefty bush throwing out blossoms of purple spikes. attracting bees and butterflies. The sisters cut the spikes and made 4 flower baskets for their chapel. They look amazing. I'm just so happy I gave them the echium. Had I kept it, it would have died because I do not have a garden to plant it on the ground. It was living out in a little pot. Sometimes it's necessary to let things go, and then they'll flourish.

Echium basket in 
the Ivrea chapel

I sprained my neck and right shoulder carrying boxes of books and stuff. After the heart operation, my body is no longer as strong as before. Any twist or turn will end up in bruises and sprained muscles. Then I spend the entire night in pain. So there's so much lifestyle adjustments to make after the operation. Life is no longer the same. And don't even talk to me about my memory. It comes and goes. That's why I'm not regularly updating my blog. I just can't remember anything anymore. 

Easter again

Fr. Patrick knocks
3 times to open
the church doors

It's Easter again! For the Eastern Catholic churches that follow the Julian calendar!!

Our Ukrainian Catholics of the Byzantine rite celebrated it yesterday. It was a huge presence! Most brought home baked Easter bread and painted eggs to be blessed. This took place after the liturgy which lasted almost 3 hours! The people laid their baked easter goodies on the plaza in front of the church and the priest splashed copious amounts of holy water on everyone and everything. The aim is to wet everything in sight ... literally soaking wet. That's why it takes place outside the church!!!

The Ethiopic Catholics also celebrated their Easter but I haven't received photos from them yet. I'll share them with you once I get them.

Today we get to eat Easter Bread and eggs all over again .... for the next few days!

People waiting for
the blessing

Easter

 It's Easter already. Holy Week came and went pretty fast. In Jerusalem there were no public celebrations as wartime regulations prohibit crowded gatherings. Everything was private. It was like Covid again. Only this time we had sirens and alerts and hiding in bunkers. I guess all the preoccupation with avoiding a missile hit and shrapnel injury made us oblivious to the time. Imagine Holy Thursday night in the middle of Mass and the sirens are sounded. And it happened on Good Friday and Easter Vigil as well. 

As with every Easter, I'm posting the same photo of the ancient tomb with a rolling stone. It's eloquent in its simplicity and silence ... an empty tomb. A space between death and resurrection; between darkness and light. A moment which is neither here nor there, neither filled nor empty. It's almost surreal.

Empty Tomb

Palm Sunday

 It's been quite a while since I updated my blog. The past days had been tense. Missiles are landing closer than ever before. Some nights there are series of volleys. The cellphone alert will sound first. It's very loud and many are traumatised by the loud alarm that wakes them at midnight. That alert gives us 10-15 minutes to get into our safe-shelter. When the missiles are within a certain range, sirens will wail throughout that region where the missile is expected to fall. We stay in our safe place, listen to interceptors blow up the missiles, wait for debris to fall from the sky, then after 5 minutes or more another message will appear on the cell phone to tell us it's safe to come out again.

In the midst of this tension, Holy Week has started but with no public religious ceremonies allowed. The palm procession from Bethpage to Jerusalem was cancelled due to danger of missiles. No public gatherings of more than 50 people are allowed, provided there is a safe bunker close by. The Holy Sepulchre, like all other churches, have been closed for 3 weeks now. Our patriarch went this morning alone to the Holy Sepulchre to conduct the Palm Sunday Mass as is allowed by status quo laws, but was turned back by police along the road. It's the first time in living memory that a patriarch has been prevented from entering the holiest church in christianity. The rest of Holy Week will also be celebrated privately. It's a sad time.

Pink trees again

Pink tree

It's been very sunny the past two days, though the temp is still low ... about 14 degrees during the day and 8 degrees in the night. It's rather a pleasant weather if not for the war. Nevertheless people try to live as normally as they can. I see from the weather forecast that it'll be raining from tomorrow onwards till Sunday. We do need the rain ... but it'll make going out to buy necessities quit inconvenient. 

Rocket debris have been falling over us the past few days. One huge piece fell into our primary school classroom through the roof. Luckily there're no live classes. Everything is on zoom. Another huge piece fell on the roof of a Greek Orthodox monastery next to the Holy Sepulchre. A small piece fell on the terrace of M Teresa's convent. Another fell in the Al Aqsa compound a few hundred meters from my room. It's not a nice feeling to be so vulnerable. I can't run or climb the stairs so I just sit in my "bunker" and wait for the explosions to end. Follow the Home Front instructions! That's what we must do.

More pink trees

The iconic pink trees are blossoming now. They're ornamental peach trees that don't fruit. But they make a bright note to the otherwise green background of trees around the parks. Very cheerful. But the rains will wash away those flowers soon.

Sandstorm

Dark clouds before the storm 

 It started raining yesterday and temp. dropped again to 8 degrees or so. At the same time a severe sandstorm blew in. The sky was yellow and visibility was poor. The sand plus rain created mud all over the streets and walls. Cars had streaks of mud running down. It was a terrible mixture of weather.

The past few days my chest has been hurting very much. Specifically the chest would from the bypass operation. It's not the skin but the sternum inside. It makes me feel nauseous and giddy. But I can't see the doctor because in this war situation, doctors see only emergency cases. I'm just hoping it's nothing serious and hope the war ends quickly.

We're midway through Lent. Holy Week will soon be upon us. But our churches are all closed due to the situation, like all other places of worship. That'll affect the Muslim end of Ramadan and Eid el Fitr and the Jewish Passover which will all fall within a week of each other.  Let's hope for the best that all will turn out well and we can celebrate our feast days in peace.

Another week

Youghurt / Passionfruit

  

Thanks for all the queries and expressions of concern. Let me assure you everything is fine here; it's safe and not anything like you see in the media. However there are closures and Ramadan is not as busy and festive as it used to be. Muted. 

Most shops are closed but groceries and pharmacies remain opened. Food shops open briefly before  before the end of the daily fast, make a brisk sale then close before 9pm. In the side alleys, pop-up stalls open after the end of the fast as well and little crowds from the neighbourhood gather to eat and chat before dispersing quickly.

Some students and I go out once in a while to buy bread and simple edibles. The other day I bought yoghurt. And an old man from the village was selling some rather small and unripe passionfruit I pitied him as these farmer from the villages hardly make ends meet, so I bought a dozen of his passionfruit and kept them till they ripened. Yesterday I ate them with the yoghurt. It was tangy and refreshing. Biscuits help us pass through the day as its Lent and many students avoid full meals during the day.