Thursday, January 22, 2009
Another view
Finally a journalist with the guts to write about Hamas crimes during the war. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1232292939271&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Repercussions
Just as I feared - hamas is taking revenge on people whom they suspect as collaborators with israel during the war. Doesn't look good.
Was busy cleaning up the room and finishing some important work. Have been feeling so tired these few days - since I got back from hospital. Can't wake up in the mornings and get very tired and sleepy in the afternoons. Don't know if its the medicine. It's draining away all my energy. And the asthma is just as bad. The weather on the other hand has warmed up alot - almost like summer today. Weird.
If you haven't watched the film on Pope John XXIII, then you should. It's good. Starring Ed Asner as the pope (remember him? Mary Tyler Moore show?) Salt and Light TV (Canadian catholic TV) is broadcasting it on Internet every Sunday in 4 segments. He really suffered as a young priest - bullied around by authorities. That's probably why when he became pope, he changed everything.
And the online course on the Book of Apocalyse is ending soon in 4 weeks. That'll be the 1st week of Lent, and a new course on the Passion and Resurrection will be launched. Sign up quick at dsbiblecentre@gmail.com
Was busy cleaning up the room and finishing some important work. Have been feeling so tired these few days - since I got back from hospital. Can't wake up in the mornings and get very tired and sleepy in the afternoons. Don't know if its the medicine. It's draining away all my energy. And the asthma is just as bad. The weather on the other hand has warmed up alot - almost like summer today. Weird.
If you haven't watched the film on Pope John XXIII, then you should. It's good. Starring Ed Asner as the pope (remember him? Mary Tyler Moore show?) Salt and Light TV (Canadian catholic TV) is broadcasting it on Internet every Sunday in 4 segments. He really suffered as a young priest - bullied around by authorities. That's probably why when he became pope, he changed everything.
And the online course on the Book of Apocalyse is ending soon in 4 weeks. That'll be the 1st week of Lent, and a new course on the Passion and Resurrection will be launched. Sign up quick at dsbiblecentre@gmail.com
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Another day
The grey cloudy skies have lifted and the sun is shining brightly today. It's warm - about 15 degrees.
The exams have started and every other day there a couple of exams - all oral - to be taken. Students are nervous, which is normal.
Nothing seems to be moving much, except for some excitement about Obama's swearing in yesterday evening. The Internet connection in the house is very slow so Fr Giovanni Loche came to my room to watch it live on BBC's website.
You would have noticed that the 1st reading for Mass these few weeks is taken from the Letter to the Hebrews. It's more an instruction than a letter, and picks up on Jewish theological concepts that apply to Christ. Pretty interesting. Read up on it!
The exams have started and every other day there a couple of exams - all oral - to be taken. Students are nervous, which is normal.
Nothing seems to be moving much, except for some excitement about Obama's swearing in yesterday evening. The Internet connection in the house is very slow so Fr Giovanni Loche came to my room to watch it live on BBC's website.
You would have noticed that the 1st reading for Mass these few weeks is taken from the Letter to the Hebrews. It's more an instruction than a letter, and picks up on Jewish theological concepts that apply to Christ. Pretty interesting. Read up on it!
Monday, January 19, 2009
What is there to live for?
Very painful pictures of the aftermath in Gaza. "A house destroyed can be rebuild. A road ripped up can be repaved. But a life lost can never be restored." See CNN video "Destruction in Gaza 2:41" in http://edition.cnn.com/video/ and also "Searching for bodies in Gaza", "Destruction in Gaza 2:13", and "chaos in Gaza".
Who is going to help rebuild those houses, bring medicine and food and water now? Who will gather the tattered lives and shredded bodies? I am more and more convinced that I should go to Gaza. Our Christians need us.
Who is going to help rebuild those houses, bring medicine and food and water now? Who will gather the tattered lives and shredded bodies? I am more and more convinced that I should go to Gaza. Our Christians need us.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A valuable lesson
Ceasefire. But that is no promise that fighting has stopped. Gaza is still firing rockets out to Israel. Now it's time to get as many wounded to the hospitals as soon as possible. Everyone is still watching nervously if this ceasefire will hold.
Yesterday I went to the hospital in Nazareth. I thought Jadallah would take the Highway 6 which in 45 minutes we would have arrived in Nazareth. Instead he took the Jericho road, ie down to Jericho and then follow the Jordan River up north to Nazareth. That's because our car hasn't the autopay card that Highway 6 requires. So it took 2 hours to go there and 2 hours back. It was tiring. The hospital as usual was very prompt (that's why I prefer to go there) - all tests done and results available within one hour. My cholesterol has reached the maximum on the scale. The lab. asst. gave me the results, smiled and said "You ready for a heart attack or stroke?" Anyway I'll give the results to my doc here in Jerusalem tomorrow. He's been saying he should put me on medication for the cholesterol.
While waiting for the lab. results, Jadallah and I drove down to the Basilica of the Annunciation. There have been some renovations in the garden and exit - fabulous! Because I was fasting for 12 hours, I was famished so we went to the best shwarma shop in Nazareth. It's a small shop, very clean, and the owner takes great pride in his food. The shwarma may be put in pitta bread or here, in a baguette freshly baked by the owner - you actually get the baguette straight out of the oven piping hot. You get a choice of 10 sauces that you put on your own. And the lamb meat is cut straight off the rotating spit, fresh, hot and juicy. It was really the best. Abit expensive though - 22 shekels but here it includes a soft-drink of your choice. So all in all, it was worth it.
We learned a powerful lesson while eating shwarma at the store. Two boys walked in to buy shwarma. One was about 14 yrs old and the other probably 10 yrs old. The younger boy was very well-dressed, clean - as if going to school graduation. The older boy was wearing thin, torn pullovers to keep warm. They were very soft-spoken and the shop owner while preparing the shwarma, began talking to them. "Are you brothers?" The older boy said "Yes. He's my younger brother". The older boy strokes the younger boy's hair and pinches his cheeks. The younger boy smiles and hugs his brother. The older boy then gets the huge baguette off the high counter, draws a chair for the younger boy to sit, gives the baguette to the younger brother, gets a soft-drink from the fridge for him. When the boy is settled, then the older boy goes to get his own baguette and drink and sits next to his brother. But he doesn't eat yet. He helps the younger boy pull up the long sleeves, lifts the long baguette up on the table and opens the can drink for the younger boy. Only when the little brother begins eating, then the older brother begins to eat his own. It was very touching. The shop keeper closed his eyes and nodded.
Jadallah and I could say nothing. When we left the shop, I asked Jadallah if he saw that. He said it was very touching - that is how brothers should behave; the older should care for the younger. And I said that's exactly what Israelis and Palestinians should be doing - both races come from the two brothers Jacob and Esau - instead of killing each other. I wish I had filmed the whole thing and put it up on the Internet. It would have taught us all a valuable lesson.
Yesterday I went to the hospital in Nazareth. I thought Jadallah would take the Highway 6 which in 45 minutes we would have arrived in Nazareth. Instead he took the Jericho road, ie down to Jericho and then follow the Jordan River up north to Nazareth. That's because our car hasn't the autopay card that Highway 6 requires. So it took 2 hours to go there and 2 hours back. It was tiring. The hospital as usual was very prompt (that's why I prefer to go there) - all tests done and results available within one hour. My cholesterol has reached the maximum on the scale. The lab. asst. gave me the results, smiled and said "You ready for a heart attack or stroke?" Anyway I'll give the results to my doc here in Jerusalem tomorrow. He's been saying he should put me on medication for the cholesterol.
While waiting for the lab. results, Jadallah and I drove down to the Basilica of the Annunciation. There have been some renovations in the garden and exit - fabulous! Because I was fasting for 12 hours, I was famished so we went to the best shwarma shop in Nazareth. It's a small shop, very clean, and the owner takes great pride in his food. The shwarma may be put in pitta bread or here, in a baguette freshly baked by the owner - you actually get the baguette straight out of the oven piping hot. You get a choice of 10 sauces that you put on your own. And the lamb meat is cut straight off the rotating spit, fresh, hot and juicy. It was really the best. Abit expensive though - 22 shekels but here it includes a soft-drink of your choice. So all in all, it was worth it.
We learned a powerful lesson while eating shwarma at the store. Two boys walked in to buy shwarma. One was about 14 yrs old and the other probably 10 yrs old. The younger boy was very well-dressed, clean - as if going to school graduation. The older boy was wearing thin, torn pullovers to keep warm. They were very soft-spoken and the shop owner while preparing the shwarma, began talking to them. "Are you brothers?" The older boy said "Yes. He's my younger brother". The older boy strokes the younger boy's hair and pinches his cheeks. The younger boy smiles and hugs his brother. The older boy then gets the huge baguette off the high counter, draws a chair for the younger boy to sit, gives the baguette to the younger brother, gets a soft-drink from the fridge for him. When the boy is settled, then the older boy goes to get his own baguette and drink and sits next to his brother. But he doesn't eat yet. He helps the younger boy pull up the long sleeves, lifts the long baguette up on the table and opens the can drink for the younger boy. Only when the little brother begins eating, then the older brother begins to eat his own. It was very touching. The shop keeper closed his eyes and nodded.
Jadallah and I could say nothing. When we left the shop, I asked Jadallah if he saw that. He said it was very touching - that is how brothers should behave; the older should care for the younger. And I said that's exactly what Israelis and Palestinians should be doing - both races come from the two brothers Jacob and Esau - instead of killing each other. I wish I had filmed the whole thing and put it up on the Internet. It would have taught us all a valuable lesson.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
end in sight?
Cold, hazy day today. In the crisp air, the ringing of the bells from our churches throughout the Old City become crystal clear. It is a beautiful sound. They are many thoughts going through my head as I hear the bells - but I can't tell you now. There might be repercussions on my safety or on christians as a whole here.
I'm off to hospital again. This time the superior has allowed Jadallah to drive me there - a good one and a half hour drive to Nazareth with no traffic, today being the Sabbath. Got to get some tests done. Hope to get back to Jerusalem by afternoon.
News from all over are predicting the end of the war.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/16/israel.gaza/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7834255.stm
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Gaza-War-Truce-Deal-Is-Close-Says-Israeli-Prime-Minister-Ehud-Olmert/Article/200901315205313?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15205313_Gaza_War%3A_Truce_Deal_Is_Close%2C_Says_Israeli_Prime_Minister_Ehud_Olmert
BBC's Christian Fraser has entered Gaza through Rafah (near Egypt). Watch the video.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7834419.stm
I'm off to hospital again. This time the superior has allowed Jadallah to drive me there - a good one and a half hour drive to Nazareth with no traffic, today being the Sabbath. Got to get some tests done. Hope to get back to Jerusalem by afternoon.
News from all over are predicting the end of the war.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/16/israel.gaza/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7834255.stm
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Gaza-War-Truce-Deal-Is-Close-Says-Israeli-Prime-Minister-Ehud-Olmert/Article/200901315205313?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15205313_Gaza_War%3A_Truce_Deal_Is_Close%2C_Says_Israeli_Prime_Minister_Ehud_Olmert
BBC's Christian Fraser has entered Gaza through Rafah (near Egypt). Watch the video.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7834419.stm
Da pacem Domine
Yesterday i went for the Way of the Cross. The roads are unusually quiet - hardly anyone outside. Not a single group is seen. The muslim school refused to open the doors for us: it's where we start the 1st Station, so we decided to start the devotion at its front door. There were about 50 friars, 20 sisters and very few (less then 20) lay people - all local arab christians and maybe 5 foreigners.
The Way of the Cross continued up to the Holy Sepulchre Basilica for the last 6 Stations. The Basilica was deadly quiet. No groups. Silence. It was eerie. I thought of staying back to join the procession (daily procession of the altars inside the Basilica) and then maybe celebrate a Mass, but considering that it's Friday and the sky darkens by 5pm, I thought it safer to go home immediately. Most shops are closed throughout the streets.
I guess the Way of the Cross became more poignant for all of us who participated. It was the painful last leg of Jesus' journey up to Calvary to die and be buried. And I'm sure not a single one of us did not think of the suffering in Gaza and the surrounding Jewish areas affected by this war - the many families who are displaced, the injured and dead. It was a very sombre walk to the Tomb of Christ. But also the promise of the resurrection.
As the last Station was prayed in front of the Empty Tomb, our Vicar Custos asked for prayers for peace and we all sang the prayer "Da pacem Domine" (Give us peace, O Lord) It's a beautiful sad hymn. Below is from the website of Jeffrey Tucker who explains the hymn:
To me the early Christian attitude toward war is summed up in a first-millennium chant "Da pacem Domine" that directly addressed the question of war and peace. Like most of the Gregorian repertoire, it wasn't necessarily written at any particular time. It was carried forward through time, long before there was printing or even musical notation, purely as a matter of repetition and tradition. That is to say, these songs developed organically, much like folk songs, except that they were used in the liturgical life of the Church.
But we can say with confidence that it was probably sung in the early middle ages, and it was popular enough to be carried forward even unto the modern age. It has a particular poignancy in our time. It addresses the powerlessness and helplessness we all feel during war, particularly wars that we have not caused and do not want to fight but are nonetheless costly to us in terms of money and cultural wreckage. Sometimes we lose family members.
The subtext of the chant implies an awareness that Hell itself is unleashed in times of war, and there is only one way to fight Hell and that is through divine intervention. We must turn to God in our quest for peace, since no one else is powerful enough to stop war. Nor were the Christians under the illusion that governments can bring peace or that governments are truly fighting for us. Not governments, not soldiers, not politicians – only God serves the interest of peace and is powerful enough to put an end to the madness.
Here are the words:
Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.
The translation:
Give peace, O Lord, in our time
Because there is no one else.
Who will fight for us
If not You, our God?
The beautiful thing here is that the melody itself, written in the minor mode II, illustrates the sad sense that events are out of control. So we pray and beg for assistance.
Try saying this prayer.
The Way of the Cross continued up to the Holy Sepulchre Basilica for the last 6 Stations. The Basilica was deadly quiet. No groups. Silence. It was eerie. I thought of staying back to join the procession (daily procession of the altars inside the Basilica) and then maybe celebrate a Mass, but considering that it's Friday and the sky darkens by 5pm, I thought it safer to go home immediately. Most shops are closed throughout the streets.
I guess the Way of the Cross became more poignant for all of us who participated. It was the painful last leg of Jesus' journey up to Calvary to die and be buried. And I'm sure not a single one of us did not think of the suffering in Gaza and the surrounding Jewish areas affected by this war - the many families who are displaced, the injured and dead. It was a very sombre walk to the Tomb of Christ. But also the promise of the resurrection.
As the last Station was prayed in front of the Empty Tomb, our Vicar Custos asked for prayers for peace and we all sang the prayer "Da pacem Domine" (Give us peace, O Lord) It's a beautiful sad hymn. Below is from the website of Jeffrey Tucker who explains the hymn:
To me the early Christian attitude toward war is summed up in a first-millennium chant "Da pacem Domine" that directly addressed the question of war and peace. Like most of the Gregorian repertoire, it wasn't necessarily written at any particular time. It was carried forward through time, long before there was printing or even musical notation, purely as a matter of repetition and tradition. That is to say, these songs developed organically, much like folk songs, except that they were used in the liturgical life of the Church.
But we can say with confidence that it was probably sung in the early middle ages, and it was popular enough to be carried forward even unto the modern age. It has a particular poignancy in our time. It addresses the powerlessness and helplessness we all feel during war, particularly wars that we have not caused and do not want to fight but are nonetheless costly to us in terms of money and cultural wreckage. Sometimes we lose family members.
The subtext of the chant implies an awareness that Hell itself is unleashed in times of war, and there is only one way to fight Hell and that is through divine intervention. We must turn to God in our quest for peace, since no one else is powerful enough to stop war. Nor were the Christians under the illusion that governments can bring peace or that governments are truly fighting for us. Not governments, not soldiers, not politicians – only God serves the interest of peace and is powerful enough to put an end to the madness.
Here are the words:
Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris
Quia non est alius
Qui pugnet pro nobis
Nisi tu Deus noster.
The translation:
Give peace, O Lord, in our time
Because there is no one else.
Who will fight for us
If not You, our God?
The beautiful thing here is that the melody itself, written in the minor mode II, illustrates the sad sense that events are out of control. So we pray and beg for assistance.
Try saying this prayer.
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