8th Day of Novena

Mother Teresa said "Our life must be woven with the Eucharist." "Jesus made himself the Bread of Life that we may be able to eat and live and be able to see him in the distressing guise of the poor."

thought for the day

Mother Teresa said "Joy is the sign of union with God... Joy is love, the normal result of a heart burning with love."

Mother's feastday is in 3 days time.

alternative?

Was talking to a friend who is now a retired nurse. He said he saw so much active/invasive intervention , some needless, most resulting in insignificant success, he is now checking out alternative medicine which he was once skeptic. What he said was an intersting insight which can be applied to many other situations: "There is no definite one way to do something, though some people may like to think so. It is always good to have alternatives to choose from, to stand back, see the situation from a different perspective, gather up your forces, and fight it from an alternative perspective." I wonder how this applies to the growing sickening attack on religious (see below) these recent months.

Attacks on religious

Franciscan friars in Turin were attacked so severely that one is in a coma. Check out http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7585841.stm Nothing is stopping this relentless attack on religious - from India to Italy. it is getting worldwide, and more and more violent.

unsafe

There's an unease in our area today. The shop-keeper two doors away from us was murdered. Posters of his death is stuck all around our quarter. It feels unsafe to walk around here now.

But that's not all. Two elderly shop-keepers near the 6th Station of the Cross were murdered several months back. Whatever is happening around here? Only yesterday I spoke about peace among the Jews and Arabs, but today I experience so much violence from among the arabs themselves.

Yesterday night we caught several youths doing drugs at the back of our place. They cut through the fence and have apparently been around for some time already - because there were mattresses for sleeping, a broken couch and lots of other stuff. We welded the fence back this morning. But you know what? It doesn't feel safe. But the ten of us left here have a more important mission now - to be instruments of peace.

Mother Teresa said: "Allow God to use you without consulting you."

Persecution

Persecution of Christians continue around the world. This morning a friend from Italy emailed to say a Catholic nun was burnt alive by hindu extremists. See the BBC report at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7581154.stm

Of ants

The streets from St Stephan's Gate (passing through our house) to the junction at the 3rd Station of the Cross - then spreading to the left up to the 5th Station; and to the right up to Damascus Gate - have all been festooned with lights and buntings for Ramadan. It is very festive. In fact they have even washed the streets! For the first time in 15 years I can see the actual stone colours - pink, yellow, white - when before it was thick with grime. There are many Jewish groups coming into our area to see and understand a bit of Islam and understand what Ramadan is about. It is very very good.

Also I saw Jewish women shopping for vegetables from the Bedouin women - each couldn't speak the language of the other, yet somehow transactions were made and everyone was happy. After choosing their vegetables, the Jewish women offer a handful of coins to the Bedouin women; the Bedouin picks from the coins the price she wants; both nod their heads in agreement, smile and move on.

So contrary to what many skeptics are spreading through the streets of Jerusalem that there can never be peace; these people are grassroots level are showing that it can. There is hope. So long as we leave extremism out.

This morning the Orthodox Christians celebrate the Dormition of Mary. They flocked to the Holy Sepulchre the whole night and began the solemn procession of carrying the ancient silver icon of Mary from the Holy Sepulchre to her tomb in the Kidron valley (passing by our house of course) at 5am. The bells were ringing for half an hour throughout the Old City and I was wondering what was happening. They usually never ring the church bells and the procession usually takes place in the evenings. What a surprise. Three days later they will celebrate Mary's assumption into heaven.

Peace among Christians? Why not? This morning Greek and Russian monks nodded heads and smiled and said "Good morning" to me as I went to the Holy Sepulchre to pray. It's not an isolated case - it happens all the time. Schism and heresy may be the official words flung about, but at our "little people" level, we're all friends.

Yet this reminds me of the African proverb - "When elephants fight, it is the ants who suffer."

But we mustn't give up hope. Mother Teresa said:

"Confidence in God can do all things. It is our emptiness and lowliness that god needs and not our plenitude."