Injured

Sunrise today

I sprained my lower back yesterday. Excruciating pain. Being Tuesday, our elderly cook Nadia works alone so I try to help her lay the lunch table. However she placed the bowls of salad and fruit on the lower shelf of the food cart and when I bent over to carry them out, I must have pulled a muscle or slipped a disc on my lower back. I've been in bed since then ... it's especially painful when I cough (which I do a lot) or get up from bed or the chair. Don't know how long more this will take to heal.

Violence among arabs living in Israel have risen sharply in the past months, resulting in the arab communities to call on Israeli police to do more to curb these violence. It's usually family or tribal feuds among the arabs themselves ... or the dreadful practice of honour killings.

And talking about violence, I was appalled by the shooting of the student in Hong Kong yesterday. Things have reached a turning point. There's no way out now. But I am also appalled by the destruction of properties by the protestors ... they have no reason to destroy supermarkets and shops as these have nothing to do with the political problem in question. Something sinister smells bad here.

Today Cardinal Sandri is arriving in Jerusalem to join in our 800th anniversary celebrations of St. Francis meeting Sultan El Malik of Damietta. A whole series of conferences and prayer sessions have been organised that will climax in Mass on Oct 4th. With my sprained back, I can hardly think of even walking up the 1km to the conference venue. Stay home and rest.  https://www.custodia.org/en/news/800-years-meeting-between-st-francis-and-sultan?fbclid=IwAR1UFL2tGmNnd_51PTZ2yC569QsCjqu_b6QFoGJMpPLM_seNrpQa8_qDCjM

St. Therese feast

Ethiopic candle-lit liturgy

Yesterday's jewish New Year coincided with the christian Orthodox feast of the Holy Cross. The Ethiopic community had a colourful celebration up on the roof of the Holy Sepulchre since they have no rights to celebrate inside the basilica. It was a great occasion to witness the ancient music and dancing liturgy ... very unique in the Orthodox family because they use cymbals and huge drums. And the clergy dance during feast days. Very impressive if you have ever seen it.

Ethiopic bishop

Though today we're in the 2nd day of the jewish New Year, most shops are still closed. And many people continue to take a holiday. Most observant and orthodox jews wear white this week in preparation for the feast of Yom Kippur in 9 days time. It's days where they ask for forgiveness of sins and make reparation. Every night they go to the Wailing Wall and pray the selichot (repentance) prayers. I've seen orthodox jews even wearing only slippers and not shoes as a sign of penance.

Today I went to Bethehem to celebrate Mass for the MC sisters and brought them cooked food which we did not eat because most of us are not at home for dinner last night. It's the feast of St. Therese of whom M. Teresa was named after. Her famous Little Way of the spiritual life if today hardly considered in a world encrusted with ostentation and self-interest. Anyway I was quite worried when I reached Bethlehem that the checkpoints would be closed because of the jewish New Year and I would not be able tot make the bus home. Luckily it was opened and the buses were running. When I got home I helped at laying the lunch table but sprained my lower back in the process. Am in bed now ... every movement hurts. I wonder how long I shall need for recovery.

St. Jerome feast day

Tomb of St. Jerome

It's the jewish New Year today. And the western part of the City is very quiet as no work is allowed. The eastern part which is arab is bustling with activity as everyone goes there to do their shopping ... out of necessity.

Today for us is the feast of St. Jerome. Born in Dalmatia, he came to Bethlehem and lived in a  cave next to the Grotto were Christ was born, in order to translate the hebrew and greek Bible into Latin. There was solemn Mass and lots of activities organized by the parish there. Masses were  celebrated both in the cave where he lived and at his tomb which is in the next cave.

Cave where Jerome lived & worked

Today also begins the 4 day celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. We celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis meeting the Sultan of Damietta and securing the right to protect and serve in the Christian Holy Places of the Holy Land. There is a series of conferences based on this encounter and each evening ends with Vespers sung with one or some of the other christian denominations. I'd like to attend some of these talks but my work schedule is pretty heavy. Still I'll try to attend at least one.

I've been awake since 2.30am as I was afraid I might oversleep and miss class at 4am. Now it's exactly 15 hours since I woke up. I'm exhausted. I think St. Jerome suffered from insomnia too. Blessed Allegra surely did. I remember hearing the old friars telling me how in his bouts of insomnia he would go to the library at night to read or to the chapel to pray. Well I'm nowhere near his or Jerome's genius ....

New year eve

Cloudy morning

It's the eve of the jewish new year ... no work is allowed and all offices and shops will be closed. The newspapers all publish the state of the jewish people ... it's up to 9 million people living in this country on the eve of the new year. However there is an impasse in forming a govt since last week's election so the 9 million citizens are left with no govt for the new year.

One sure sign of the jewish new year is the abundance of fruit. In Palm Plaza, the pats are heavy with dates. Pomegranates, apricots and peaches are sold everywhere. Grapes too are abundant and they are the symbol of Sukkoth which is celebrated 15 days from now. We also have foreign fruit grown locally at this time of year: incredible mangoes and guavas. It's a great time to be a vegetarian.

Lots of dates

I was up at 4am this morning to buy fresh bread for the community ... barley and whole meal loaves. Everyone loves it here, especially those with diabetes. I bought them cheap ... 4 shekels each instead of 5. It pays to know the bakery people. At 4am the sky was very cloudy and humidity caused dew to form everywhere. It was 13 degrees and chilly. I managed to water all the plants as well ... from the courtyard behind the sacristy to the sisters' courtyard 2 floors up to the my rooftop garden. Quite a chore but I managed to get it all done by 6am.

Then it was Mass at the Armenian Catholic church. A group of Indian pilgrims came to join in as they had no priest and it was Sunday. There were in all some 60 people for Mass. What a crowd. The rest of the day was spent slowly cleaning my room. I have no desire to go out because police presences stepped up considerably because of the jewish new year. I don't need more drama in my life.

The Delivery Guy

Despite not going to work yesterday and avoiding stress, I still was terrible confused. In the afternoon I simply couldn't remember what day it was. At one stage I was sure it was Sunday. Then I thought it was Monday. I guess I was thrown off my sense of time when I didn't go to work today. How confusing. But more frightening is that I've become so stuck in my routine, any change to it throws me off course.

Yesterday in Tel Aviv there was a 2nd wave of Climate Change demonstrations. Thousands joined in the march ... which was very colourful and festive. Very typical of Tel Aviv even addressing a sombre topic. I wish I had gone to join in ... but being Friday I didn't want to wander through the muslim crowd in my Quarter.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-joins-worldwide-climate-protests-as-thousands-take-to-tel-aviv-streets/

The bedouin beggar

Just as the jewish Holy Days are about to start on Sunday evening, Israel's embassies around the world went on strike because their budget has been cut, reduced or simply not paid. Newspapers report that some ambassadors have resorted to charity from overseas Israelis to survive.

The good delivery boy

And talking about charity ... this afternoon on my way home from work I encountered a very touching moment on the street. There is an elderly bedouin woman who sits under a tree between the tram tracks and Damascus Gate park begging for money. It's been a tradition with us by now to always give her a shekel whenever we pass by ... and she always smiles and gives a blessing. Today I was taking a shekel out of my pocket to give her ... she was still some 10 meters away ... when a young arab delivery boy was huffing his bike uphill to make a delivery. He suddenly stopped, got off his bike, reached into his pocket and gave the bedouin a shekel. It was a very nice act as he hardly earns anything while working in this heat. It caught me by surprise and I couldn't take a photo in time. However  on my detour home through Salahaddin Street (I had to buy flowers for the altar) ... the same delivery boy was cycling pass ... obviously finishing his delivering. I quickly snapped a photo of him. It made me feel good to know that there are still young people who care despite their own poverty. Faith in humanity restored.

Friday

Crispy morning

After yesterday's burst of violence, I wasn't going to take any chances with the throngs of arabs in the streets today (Friday) so I decided to stay home. I received new threats 3 days ago and was warned by M. Teresa's sisters. They offered to accompany me to and from work ... but I don't want to put them into trouble. After all 2 of them were attacked also the last time.

Roses from the MCs

Autumn is upon us and the nights are below 15 degrees ... chilly. The mornings are bright and crisp ... and the ground is wet with dew. The bulbs in my flower pots have all sprouted ... and our 2 armenian seminarians bought me a box of Dutch bulbs while in Holland visiting their family. So this morning I decided to do gardening instead of work. Potted lots of bulbs, pruned the daisies and Jerusalem artichokes. Then fertilised all the pots in preparation for winter. Lots of work and I found it very enjoyable ... out in the sun, hands in the soil.

And talking about gardening, the 6 rose pots I gave the M. Teresa sisters in Bethlehem have flourished into huge bushes because the sisters planted them in the ground. The soil there is very rich so the bushes flower profusely. I asked the sisters to cut some for me so I could put them on our Madonna altar in the refectory. They are very lovely and strongly perfumed.

Sabbath begins this evening and when it ends tomorrow evening, Rosh haShanah (New Year) begins and lasts till Monday. Everyone is warning everyone to buy whatever they need because all shops and offices will be closed during this long weekend. I guess I'll stay home these 72 hours.

Violence

Damascus Gate blocked

There was a stabbing this afternoon at 4pm. I was on my way to the MC convent for confessions and adoration when I reached Herod's Gate and found it shut. Lots of people were standing around waiting to get out but the police were not allowing anyone to leave the Old City. So I had to take the alleys and side-streets to reach the convent. The City gates were all closed so that terrorists cannot run out ... and a thorough search by the police made sure no potential harm is possible before the gates were reopened. That could take well over an hour.

Police chase away protestors

After the confessions and adoration at 7pm, I had to go to my office 1km uphill through Damascus Gate but found it was blocked by barriers. Police were checking people entering the Gate ... but those inside could freely leave. Security was really stringent. Then up on the road, there was a demonstration by arab youths chanting while a large posse of police and mounted police blocked the road. Chants continued louder and the police moved in to disperse the youth ... chasing them to the arab Central Bus Station. The youths re-gathered there and continued chanting and holding placards. I went on my way and didn't find out how it ended.

The tensions I mentioned yesterday have finally erupted. And it doesn't look good. With the Jewish New Year starting on Sunday ... this violence is bound to increase and Israeli police will even become more stringent. It will be a very unhappy winter.