Have not been feeling well - probably because of the cold. I wanted to go to the Holy Sepulchre as usual but when I woke up at 3am to prepare myself, I found my shoulders were very painful, all the way down the spine. So I stayed in bed till 5.30am and then went down to our own chapel for Mass.
1st Sunday of Advent today. The readings remind us to prepare, to await, to keep vigil.... for the 2nd coming of the Messiah. The first Advent candle was burnt today in our chapel. The atmosphere is setting in, and Christmas is going to be special for us here - in Bethlehem. Wish you got be here too.
Fr Vincenzo was over for lunch today. I asked him to help me get books on Hellenisation in Egypt. Hopefully he'll find something. My research has to do with that period of Egyptian history. Work is going ahead, but slowly as it is really very difficult. But like the Dean said, I learn alot while struggling through this difficult text, so it's worth it.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
spat at
It would have been a perfect ending of a day - two evenings back, when all the friars in Judea gathered at the Basilica of Gethsemani to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Order, and the renewal of our vows. But on the way back, we were accosted by a large group of Jewish students who spat at us in the face and everywhere else - en masse. The police who stood by did nothing but only gave excuses that they were only kids (some in their 20s!!!!). Which civilization would stand for that? What law and order?
We are still full of indignation that such anti-christian attitudes are so blatently and hatefully expressed by young Jews. Where did they learn that from? And the police and soldiers who did nothing to stop them..... Anti-christianity is not just in India and Iraq, people..... it's alive here as well.
We are still full of indignation that such anti-christian attitudes are so blatently and hatefully expressed by young Jews. Where did they learn that from? And the police and soldiers who did nothing to stop them..... Anti-christianity is not just in India and Iraq, people..... it's alive here as well.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
The centre cannot hold ....
The seige of Mumbai is terrible. We must pray for the rest of the hostages' safety. And the situation in Thailand is not getting any better. I am reminded again of Yeat's "The Second Coming":
Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Where is the world heading?
Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Where is the world heading?
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Musky
Fr Vincenzo came over again yesterday morning to talk about the sponsorship programme that you have all generously contributed. He brought over several thank-you letters from the children but all are written in arabic. He himself will write you a few words on this blog soon.
Anyway you are sponsoring several children for schooling as well as daily meals. Fr Vincenzo is trying to get a deal with Nestle whereby he can buy powdered milk at half price in order to feed the children. Also our parish in Musky tries to organise activities to stimulate the children, providing a meat-meal several times a year to give them protein, and provide basic needs like mattresses, blankets. Apparently most of them sleep on straw strewn on the floor. A mother with 4 children comes to help clean the library for a few hours everyday - she's paid US$2 a day which is for them alot. A normal labourer gets US$8 a day.
So your offerings are being very well used, and many families are now benefitting from it. Perhaps this year, they will experience the joy of Christmas in a different way - with a full stomach and warm clothes.
So thanks to you all for your generosity and kindness. Know that the children in Musky are praying for you.
Anyway you are sponsoring several children for schooling as well as daily meals. Fr Vincenzo is trying to get a deal with Nestle whereby he can buy powdered milk at half price in order to feed the children. Also our parish in Musky tries to organise activities to stimulate the children, providing a meat-meal several times a year to give them protein, and provide basic needs like mattresses, blankets. Apparently most of them sleep on straw strewn on the floor. A mother with 4 children comes to help clean the library for a few hours everyday - she's paid US$2 a day which is for them alot. A normal labourer gets US$8 a day.
So your offerings are being very well used, and many families are now benefitting from it. Perhaps this year, they will experience the joy of Christmas in a different way - with a full stomach and warm clothes.
So thanks to you all for your generosity and kindness. Know that the children in Musky are praying for you.
A tribute
The end of the 30 day period of mourning for Fr Michele Piccirillo was marked by a Mass yesterday afternoon at St. Saviour's monastery.
The church was packed. Besides the numerous religious and priests and the Apostolic Nuncio, there were also Muslim and Jewish friends who joined in this memorial. The Custos presided the Mass but the Dean gave the homily. It was very touching - I don't believe there was a dry eye in the church. He recounted Fr Piccirillo's childhood, his formation years and his eventual work; his passion for art, literature and archaeology; his successes and failures; and the faith and dignity during his last days on earth. The dean spoke of Fr Piccirillo's quick temper and apparent obstinancy that often offended; but he also said something which I always held to be a truism in great people: such obstinancy, after time and usually after death, will be recognised as conviction, passion, perseverance and tenacity in keeping what great people know to be true, workable, indeed the will of God. So convinced and passionate are they to these works/mission/apostolates/dreams, they hang on to it tenaciously, fighting off opposition, because they know God will bring it to fruition. And they are always proven right in due time. This is the making of a hero; but people around will always see the worse of it, calling it obstinancy, strong-willed, unco-operative, selfish, loner, stubborn. What it all boils down is that these critics are filled with fear: fear of failure, fear of stepping into the unknown, fear of leaving the comfort zone, and above all, fear of trusting in God's providence, fear of conviction, fear of having an ideal. These are the sad people who make mediocrity a virtue. How often these few months have I seen this in Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, Fr Allegra, St John Bosco .... all some time or other were punished for their "stubbornness" by colourless/faceless people but only later flourished to sainthood through their tenacity and perseverance.
After Mass everyone went down to the Hall of the Immaculate where the last film shot with Fr Piccirillo was shown. it was done by RAI cinema (the italian media) and is not yet public: we got a preview. The hall was packed - standing capacity only. It was strange watching Fr Piccirillo talking in the film, we recognised his voice, his gestures, his jokes ..... but he is no longer here with us. In the darkness of the hall, you could hear people sniffling, wiping their eyes as they saw again this great man who gave his life to bring peace through archaeology, explaining with passion the discoveries and ongoing work of mosaics discovered in Israel, Jordan, Syria and Egypt. Today his disciples continue his work there.
And I think the greatest tribute we can give to him is to continue working. Working with conviction and passion, with total trust in God that it is His will, with a tenacity that will draw criticism from those who hold nothing but fear as their virtue, mediocrity as their dream and comfort as their ideal.
The church was packed. Besides the numerous religious and priests and the Apostolic Nuncio, there were also Muslim and Jewish friends who joined in this memorial. The Custos presided the Mass but the Dean gave the homily. It was very touching - I don't believe there was a dry eye in the church. He recounted Fr Piccirillo's childhood, his formation years and his eventual work; his passion for art, literature and archaeology; his successes and failures; and the faith and dignity during his last days on earth. The dean spoke of Fr Piccirillo's quick temper and apparent obstinancy that often offended; but he also said something which I always held to be a truism in great people: such obstinancy, after time and usually after death, will be recognised as conviction, passion, perseverance and tenacity in keeping what great people know to be true, workable, indeed the will of God. So convinced and passionate are they to these works/mission/apostolates/dreams, they hang on to it tenaciously, fighting off opposition, because they know God will bring it to fruition. And they are always proven right in due time. This is the making of a hero; but people around will always see the worse of it, calling it obstinancy, strong-willed, unco-operative, selfish, loner, stubborn. What it all boils down is that these critics are filled with fear: fear of failure, fear of stepping into the unknown, fear of leaving the comfort zone, and above all, fear of trusting in God's providence, fear of conviction, fear of having an ideal. These are the sad people who make mediocrity a virtue. How often these few months have I seen this in Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, Fr Allegra, St John Bosco .... all some time or other were punished for their "stubbornness" by colourless/faceless people but only later flourished to sainthood through their tenacity and perseverance.
After Mass everyone went down to the Hall of the Immaculate where the last film shot with Fr Piccirillo was shown. it was done by RAI cinema (the italian media) and is not yet public: we got a preview. The hall was packed - standing capacity only. It was strange watching Fr Piccirillo talking in the film, we recognised his voice, his gestures, his jokes ..... but he is no longer here with us. In the darkness of the hall, you could hear people sniffling, wiping their eyes as they saw again this great man who gave his life to bring peace through archaeology, explaining with passion the discoveries and ongoing work of mosaics discovered in Israel, Jordan, Syria and Egypt. Today his disciples continue his work there.
And I think the greatest tribute we can give to him is to continue working. Working with conviction and passion, with total trust in God that it is His will, with a tenacity that will draw criticism from those who hold nothing but fear as their virtue, mediocrity as their dream and comfort as their ideal.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Magnanimous
Finally relief is being brought into Gaza. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7745783.stm
Yesterday the Japanese martyrs were beatified in Nagasaki. The reporter says the Japanese persecution of Christians in the 16th century were more violent than any other persecution faced by the Church. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7745307.stm
And this evening we'll all go to St. Saviour's monastery to celebrate the memory of Fr Piccirillo. Even today many of us find it difficult that he is no longer with us. We speak often of him, in fact only the day before Ephrem told me he cannot imagine Fr Piccirillo is gone. And so did Carmelo on a different occassion yesterday.
And Fr Vincenzo from Musky (Cairo) has arrived in Jerusalem and we spoke for quite a while yesterday morning. He thanks all of you for your kind help; he is now using your donations to "adopt" 5 children to go to school and feed the other hungry children in the area. I'll get a photo of him uploaded.
Meantime yesterday's gospel reading was interesting - it spoke of the widow who gave her all (2 copper coins) as the temple offering. But try and read this in context. A few verses earlier, Jesus chided the scribes for robbing the widows. Just imagine that this widow had her property devoured by these scribes, and being left with just 2 copper coins, she still offered it up to God. Now that is magnanimity - no holds barred. How do you measure to that?
Yesterday the Japanese martyrs were beatified in Nagasaki. The reporter says the Japanese persecution of Christians in the 16th century were more violent than any other persecution faced by the Church. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7745307.stm
And this evening we'll all go to St. Saviour's monastery to celebrate the memory of Fr Piccirillo. Even today many of us find it difficult that he is no longer with us. We speak often of him, in fact only the day before Ephrem told me he cannot imagine Fr Piccirillo is gone. And so did Carmelo on a different occassion yesterday.
And Fr Vincenzo from Musky (Cairo) has arrived in Jerusalem and we spoke for quite a while yesterday morning. He thanks all of you for your kind help; he is now using your donations to "adopt" 5 children to go to school and feed the other hungry children in the area. I'll get a photo of him uploaded.
Meantime yesterday's gospel reading was interesting - it spoke of the widow who gave her all (2 copper coins) as the temple offering. But try and read this in context. A few verses earlier, Jesus chided the scribes for robbing the widows. Just imagine that this widow had her property devoured by these scribes, and being left with just 2 copper coins, she still offered it up to God. Now that is magnanimity - no holds barred. How do you measure to that?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Christ the King
Yesterday was an extraordinarily quiet day. Almost everyone went to Jordan to celebrate Mass at the tomb of Fr Piccirillo. I couldn't go because I didn't have my passport - it's with the ministry for renewing my visa. Pity. Fr Piccirillo was a good friend and brother. Maybe next time round when I get my passport, I'll go over to Jordan. He's buried up on Mt. Nebo, the mountain where Moses saw the Holyland but could not enter.
Since Nadia's husband died, she has not been at work. The corridor was very dusty (she usually cleans it) and I thought it was a good day to clean it up - since no one was at home to slip when the floor is wet. So I mopped the whole upper floor as well as the staircase. It took almost an hour as the corridor is very very long. Was very tired after that.
Afternoon Ephrem our Gabonese student took a walk with me to the New City - we went to several 2nd hand bookstores and browsed through the books. He bought 3 but I didn't get any.
Yesterday's feast of Christ the King had some very good readings for reflection. Who is this king? He is the hungry, the naked, the thirsty, the imprisoned, the sick. It is a suffering king. And for us to enter his kingdom, we must carry our own crosses and suffer with him.
Since Nadia's husband died, she has not been at work. The corridor was very dusty (she usually cleans it) and I thought it was a good day to clean it up - since no one was at home to slip when the floor is wet. So I mopped the whole upper floor as well as the staircase. It took almost an hour as the corridor is very very long. Was very tired after that.
Afternoon Ephrem our Gabonese student took a walk with me to the New City - we went to several 2nd hand bookstores and browsed through the books. He bought 3 but I didn't get any.
Yesterday's feast of Christ the King had some very good readings for reflection. Who is this king? He is the hungry, the naked, the thirsty, the imprisoned, the sick. It is a suffering king. And for us to enter his kingdom, we must carry our own crosses and suffer with him.
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