Pentecost Sunday

Solemn Vespers in the Last
Supper Room

It's Pentecost today. The usual solemn Vespers was sung at the Last Supper Room. The Our Father was recited in each person's language ... a mixture of tongues like the day of Pentecost 2000 years ago. It's a wonderful experience.  Then there was the annual procession to the Armenian Cathedral of St. James to remind everyone of how the Armenians hosted the Franciscans in the 16th century when the Ottoman Turks evicted the Franciscans from the Last Supper Room. Then the procession went on the the Syrian Cathedral of St. Mark to recall the house where Mark and his mother lived and had hosted Ss Peter and John when they escaped from prison in the Antonia Fortress.

Military presence continue to be very high today in and out of the Old City in the wake of the terrorist attack in London. Palm Plaza is ringed with 3 concentric circles of metal fences ... each with only one gate. Thousands of muslims continue to congregate in the Al Aqsa Mosque and chances for a riot are real. But nobody wants their holidays to be spoiled so frankly I don't expect any violence. But always better safe than sorry ... hence the military presence.

Metal barriers dividing up the whole
of East Jerusalem

Well these few days I've bumped into several old friends that I haven't seen in a very long time. It's always so good to catch up. Perhaps that's a sign of old age ... nostalgia, memories, old friends .... This summer I will be alone as usual. Everyone else will be going home. So these friends ... jewish and muslim ... will be my companions for the next 3 months to pass the time. Meantime it's seeing through our students with their exams which will last till June 29th. My other lot of students at the Salesian University will be ordained deacons next week at the Basilica in Gethsemani; others will return to their countries to be ordained priests a week later. Happy for them.

Eve of Pentecost

Waraq Dawali for lunch

While yesterday there was calm despite the massive crowds of muslims entering the Old City, violence came from a different front -- the ultra-orthodox jews. Following the news i blogged 2 days ago, police posed as soldiers walking through the ultra-orthodox neighbourhood and were attacked. This set up led on a police raid and the arrest of 11 ultra-orthodox jews.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4970520,00.html

And there was more violence by the ultra-orthodox jews when they demonstrated along Porphets' Street leading pass the Municipal Police Station. This lot were against the breaking of the Sabbath Law - meaning there should be no work i.e. driving of cars, opening of shops etc. It happens every Friday evening at the onset of the Sabbath, or on the Sabbath itself. Apparently throwing stones, fighting and spitting is not against the Sabbath Law. Well it was quite violent. So the Israeli police really should worry more of violence from their own kind than from the muslims.

In summary, the ultra-orthodox jewish community is flexing its power over Jerusalem, enforcing its way of life on all the other residents. No wonder the jewish youth and secular jews are leaving Jerusalem by the droves.

Fruit for sale

Tomorrow is Pentecost. There will be solemn Vespers at the Last Supper Room this evening and tomorrow. Then the Easter season ends and we're back in Ordinary Time. There's the Feast of St. Anthony on June 13th and Corpus Christi on June 15th and then the summer holidays begin. It'll be fun ... as I plan to eat a lot of fruit this holidays. Even now in early summer we have grapes and plums and apricots. The heatwave has ripened these fruit quickly so they're now being sold in the markets. There's so much vine leaves on sale, today for lunch we had waraq dawali which is rice and minced meat wrapped in vine leaves. It's one of my favourite summer dishes.

Calm Friday

Crowds leaving Damascus Gate

Today is the 1st Friday of Ramadan and thousands of muslims form all over the country have flocked into the Old City to pray in the AL Aqsa Mosque. Israel has allowed many palestinians from the Territories and Gaza to enter Jerusalem. But the police were taken all precautions to prevent riots and violence. Damascus Gate was closed with 3 rings of metal fences and the waves of muslims coming into the City. I was stuck at home till about 3pm when I tried to get to work. The crowds leaving the afternoon prayers was still huge though it was only the tail end. I had to take the alleys to get to work.  Fortunately there were no violence ... although youths dawdling around Damascus Gate constantly provoked the police with chants and whistles.

Frying salmon on a bbq pan

After work I went to my friend's apartment near the 6th Station. He invited me for dinner ... roasted salmon on charcoal fire. It was the first time I have been to these Old City apartments and the view was spectacular. He's an MA student at the Hebrew Uni. specialising in ancient Akkadian. Although brought up a strict Presbyterian, he knows quite a lot about the Catholic Church and we talked a lot about doctrine and practise. In fact we talked till 11pm and we ended up out in the cavea of Damascus Gate, watching the thousands of muslims leaving the Old City after the final night prayers. It took more than 2 hours for the crowds to exit and even then, it was not the end. More people kept pouring out.

Well tomorrow life will return to normal and hopefully our access to and from the Old City would be open. 

Summer holidays soon

Lemon, almond and date syrup on
sale in the streets

The weather continues to be very hot during the day and cool in the nights. Though the range of temperature change is not so wide, it still makes people sick with coughs and colds. By the coast, the beaches are getting crowded as school ends and students begin their summer holidays. But the jellyfish have returned and they may become a danger when their numbers are too many. But the heat in Ramadan also signals the sale of lemon, date and almond syrup ... a definite favourite which boosts energy after a day's fasting and a sure thirst-quencher.    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4970108,00.html

Plainclothes police making stop-and-
search on arab youths in the park

Well with the massive police presence in and around the Old City during Ramadan, you might think that they're expecting some threat from the muslims .... but it has emerged form the news that the real threat are from their own kind: ultra-orthodox jews have placed up posters calling ultra-orthodox youths to murder Israeli soldiers. It's a reaction against the compulsory drafting into military service that these ultra-orthodox are fighting. But the strange thing is no one is being charged for inciting violence. If this were done by arabs, arrests would have been made and charges of terrorism would have been slapped. Here the rabbis are too powerful and beyond the reach of the law. http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/in-israel/local/tal-28750   and   http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4970056,00.html

June has crept in and we're already into the halfway point in 2017. Time flies. I abhor to start making my summer holiday plans ... not so much "holiday" than work. I need to pick up on my studies and there're lots of books I need to read. Sounds like a busy summer ... so no time to be bothered by jellyfish in the beaches.

Visitation Feast

Jews going home from the Wailing
Wall this morning

It's Shavuot today ... the jewish feast of the barley harvest. Most of the celebrations are outdoors in the fields ... with flowers, fruit and dances. This morning our street was closed to traffic as hundreds of Jews were going to the Wailing Wall for prayers. The muslim crowd by then had gone to sleep after a whole night's feasting. Police presence is still heavy but there's calm and no sign of tensions.    http://www.ynetnews.com/articlesnc/0,7340,L-4969502,00.html

Summer must really be here because the first Muslim call to prayer is at 3.15am - this is daylight saving so in real solar time it's actually 2.15am. The 2nd call which should be at the first rays of the sun is 4am (or 3am solar time), That is very early. Thank goodness for the new law that forbids the muezzins to yell over certain decibels. All the PA systems of the mosques have been toned down ... and I noticed even the morning canon for Ramadan is not fired ... until this morning.

Preparing the Marian altar in our
courtyard this morning

Today for us is the Feast of the Visitation. All the friars ... well most ... are in Ein Kerem for the feast. That's where the Sanctuary of the Visitation is. Solemn Mass was celebrated there in the morning and then in the evening we have solemn Vespers. And being the last day of May, the parish here in Jerusalem holds the annual Marian procession around the Christian Quarter, with bands playing and flower-girls throwing petals along the streets. It'll end in our courtyard of the Marian altar (makeshift) and then everyone goes to evening Mass to finish the Month of Mary.

This morning I happened to bump into an old friend whom I've not seen for almost a year. He said he was getting married next week and hoped I'd come to his wedding. That was very nice. He's Greek Orthodox but his fiancee is an Episcopalian from the US, so the wedding will take place at St. George's Anglican cathedral. Makes sense? no ... nothing does in this country. But we do it anyway.

Eve of Shavuot

My lilies in bloom

Horror of horrors ... the govt has actually approved a plan to build a cable car from the Rehavia neighborhood (south of Jerusalem's Old City) to the Wailing Wall. It's a circus!!! It's becoming a Disneyland!!! How can you justify building this 3 km long monstrosity over people's houses? How can you justify $55 million to be spent building it while thousands are homeless and hungry? How many tourists will actually use the cable car? I dread to think of the future of the City or the holiness of the sites when commercialism and tackiness takes precedence.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4968672,00.html

Tonight the jewish feast of Shavuot or Pentecost begins. Jews will go to the Wailing Wall by the thousands to study the Bible all night ... as is the custom of the feast. However it'll also be Ramadan when the muslims will be feasting all night. Military presence is super high ... to prevent any clashes at Damascus Gate down El Wad street and into the Wailing Wall. Let's hope nothing happens. It'll ruin both feasts for both peoples.   http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-bolsters-security-measures-ahead-of-Shavuot-holiday-494205

I had a tiring evening yesterday and came home at about 10.30pm. There was no food and I was very hungry so I drank some cold milk from the fridge. Suffered all night long from severe diarrhoea. And I mean severe .... the cramps were excruciating, and I was running to the toilet every half hour from 2am till now ... which makes it 16 hours. I am so exhausted I could not work today though I went to the office. My cure was drinking Coca-Cola ... as 2 doctors had separately advised many years ago. After half a litre of Coke, the cramps and diarrhoea stopped.

A great tragedy

Qattayef pancakes on sale

There's one thing that I am always thankful for ... everyday ... and that is having had the operation on my nose. I cannot imagine now how I could live for years with a deviated septum and abnormal nasal conchea that restricted my breathing by 70%. I remember the sleepless nights, breathing through the mouth; easily tired and difficulties in focussing attention because of lack of oxygen. Now 4 years after the operation, I can breathe normally again. Not once had I to breathe through my mouth ... it is really a new lease of life. So if you think you have nasal problems ... I'd say go get it done.

Making the pancakes

One bonus in Ramadan which makes up for the noisy nights that keep us awake, is qattayef. That's the pancake stuffed with either cheese or walnuts, drizzled with honey. I simply love them. I bought a kilo of the pancakes (not stuffed) from the numerous shops that pop up overnight in Ramadan. One kilo costs 14 shekels ... which is reasonable. I spread marmalade on it and eat it for breakfast ... but since one kilo was quite a lot, I shared it with some other students.
It's a little something different that makes the seasons a little more colorful.

News is coming out about the killing of the 28 Coptic christians in Egypt, most being children. They were asked one by one to renounce their christian faith but they refused so they were killed. These children are martyrs. The world, initially shocked by the news, has by now forgotten about them. As christians we must never let this be forgotten. They have sacrificed their lives for the faith.  https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/egyptian-children-refuse-to-renounce-christian-faith-killed-by-muslims

Some jewish rabbis are calling this worldwide persecution of christians as a genocide ... and are surprised that the rest of the Christian world remains oblivious to it. This is the greater tragedy. It shows the cracks in Christianity ... the lack of empathy and compassion, the lack of unity and brotherhood ... Christianity is fragmented, each part looking inwards to itself and its interest. The Body of Christ is broken.