Sylvester

Birth of Christ manuscript from
our library

It's the last day of 2019. In the Church calendar it's the feast of St. Sylvester ... and that's what it's called today here in Israel ... "Sylvester". They don't use the Gregorian calendar but they join in the celebrations of New Year's Eve. Usually there's a small fireworks display in the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna in the gospels) but we're never sure what time it starts. And every year I'm already asleep when they start the display. Frankly I prefer to watch the fireworks from around the rest of the world.

This evening like most other religious houses in the Holy Land, we'll sing vespers and add the Te Deum as thanksgiving with Eucharistic Adoration. Looking back it was a year where health wise it wasn't too bad despite the numerous hospital visits and interventions. Thanks to you all who helped defray my medical bills ... it really means a lot. Work-wise the load was enormous ... and there were moments when I was crushed and totally helpless. But I survived. Charity-wise a lot was done through your generosity: we managed to sponsor many school children, pay rent, electricity/water, food and medication for several poor families, provided clothes and heat packs for the winter ... on the whole it was a great job. Congrats to you all for your generosity and support!

Sr. Sarita's birthday

Tomorrow's New Year Mass will be celebrated with your intentions in mind. I'll be celebrating it in Nazareth at the Annunciation Basilica.

One good piece of news for the new Year ... petrol prices in Israel will drop tonight. That'll help relief the financial plight of most people. And the other day we celebrated Sr. Sarita's birthday ... it's her first birthday in the Holy Land and it was good we were around to celebrate with her.

The new strain of influenza is scaring everyone to have vaccination shots ... such that there is now a shortage. Already 11 people died and over 100 in serious condition. It's a national scare.  https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/BJNdnmv1U?fbclid=IwAR3AcevnmU24ee6U0-0IzoHxOt0hxo_V2uJtC3CDRvFJ0uxkNwuNwhMCnRU

Year ending

Hanukkah musicians in the plaza

It's the last night of the 8-day jewish festival of Hanukkah. I was out in the New City to buy some necessities ... something I've been avoiding for the past days as it was too cold ... but the birds have no more food so I really needed to go buy some. Buddy and JJ are fretting because they have to eat fruit and veggies instead of seeds.

Darkness falls at 5pm and entertainers come out to all the plazas in Jerusalem, each doing his own stuff. At Cat's Plaza, there was a giant hanukiot (9 candle stand) serving as a podium for musicians. In the neighborhood of Nahalat Shiva, a marching band with illuminated hats were making loud music. And in Zion Square, a giant hanukiot was waiting to be lit while crowds milled around and illuminated stilt-walkers weaved among them. It's a joyous feast celebrating light .... but on its darker side, it's a celebration of Judaism over other religions. We've been getting a spate of anti-christian attacks these few days. Yesterday 2 jewish men came to our church and spat at the cross. When tourists and guides protested, they attacked the christians. Then they called the police and accused christians of attacking them in the name of anti-semitism. How long will these people hide behind that excuse of antisemitism while perpetrating anti-christian acts?  

Hanukiot at Zion Square

It's almost the end of the year. 2019 passed very quickly. Thank God we had come very close to war ... several in fact ... but everything calmed down. We survived the butter crisis and the yoghurt crisis. The drought came and was washed out by last week's storm. The US embassy moved to Jerusalem but everything fizzled out ... no one cares. 2 elections came and went ... and still we have no govt. We survived 2019.

Holy Family feast

At St. Anthony's
church, Jaffa

It's Holy Family Day. Most have gone to Nazareth to celebrate the feast at the house of the Holy Family ... also known as the church of St. Joseph. I spent my morning after Mass instead cleaning the sacristy of the Armenian Catholic church. There were lots of laundry to do: purificators, alter linens etc. Then it was back home to clean the courtyard. The storm of the past 2 days have littered the courtyard with leaves and branches. It needed some tidying.

In the afternoon visitors began to come. 12pm one, 2pm another and 3pm another. Not sure if any others are coming later. I must go and buy food for Buddy and JJ as they have no seeds left to eat. Poor boys. And they have hardly seen me the past few days as I was away working in the parish. So today they've stuck close to me ... on my shoulder and arm all day. I try my best to play with them ... but JJ who is almost 1 yr old is very mischievous and noisy ... like a typical teenager. It's non-stop playing for him everyday. That means chewing everything in sight ... especially electric wires. I have to watch him all the time so he doesn't get into big trouble. Buddy is older ... 3 yrs now ... and is much more settled. He'd just sit on my shoulder and go to sleep. No problems with him.

The rains of the past 2 days have caused the Sea of Galilee to rise by 20cm. It made up for the drought for the past year. Flash floods have led to 2 deaths so far. It's stopped raining today and this should last till next weekend when rains are predicted.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/days-of-heavy-rainfall-raise-sea-of-galilee-by-some-20cm/?fbclid=IwAR3nL31fvUWuTruBZ4Ag6JU2sqFXj8CWTEEtqeJfENZqu2NTI_pgUjCEfSM

And while the winter gets harsher in Syria, thousands of refugees are on the run again ... govt. bombings in the north-west where most christians are seeking refuge have led to a bitter exodus for safer areas. Our poor christians are so persecuted but the world continues to ignore them. In Nigeria, christians were killed on Christmas Day by ISIS ... but hardly any noticed is given around the world. What a terrible way to end the year ... and begin another.

Holy Innocents

4am and heavy rain

It really rained yesterday ... all day and all night. In your country, you'd call it a storm. We've not had one that lasted so long .... practically 24 hrs. There were rumbles of thunder and the wind was very strong. And I was working outdoors for 18 hrs. Started at 4am going to the Holy Sepulchre to say Mass for a group of sisters. And it was raining heavily. After that we toured the basilica till 7.30am. Then from 9am to 1.30pm I brought them to see the Jewish Quarter and the archeological exhibits. Then from 2.30pm to 5pm I brought them to the Gethsemane and the shrines in the Kidron Valley. All the time it was raining very hard. We were all wet and I was afraid I'd catch pneumonia. I was coughing very badly.

Quicho the cat

Then at 5.30 I had to rush 1km to East Jerusalem and meet a group. I was extremely tired and breathless. I didn't think I'd make it. I was having blackout flashes. And my legs felt like jelly. When that finished .... and it was raining very hard all the time... I had to walk 2kms uphill to West Jerusalem to meet another group. By the time I got home it was 10pm and I really thought I'll die. It was a punishing schedule but I had to do it and I survived ... even in the storm. It was quite an achievement.

This morning started also at 4am when I had to go back to Jaffa ... in the storm. It's Holy Innocents Day. Visibility was very poor in the highway ... and it was very foggy ... so our car had to go very slowly. At 8am I had to bring our seminarians around Jaffa to visit some important sites. And it was a storm so heavy, umbrellas were overturned and everyone was utterly drenched. I took the taxi home at 12pm because I really couldn't stay in the cold anymore. I was feeling really sick. But it was a very fun morning ... with our philosophy seminarians on their christmas holidays. And our cat Quicho in our Jaffa monastery was very playful and kept us entertained when we had breakfast.

By the way there's a new strain of flu in Israel, already 11 people have died and 90+ in serious condition. Maybe it's time I got my flu shots.

Stephen aday

Spot where Stephen was killed

It's St. Stephen day ... so say T.S. Elliot in his "Murder in the Cathedral". The Greek Orthodox Church now stands over the stoney slope where we believe Stephen was stoned to death. There was solemn vespers there yesterday evening .... and lots of candles were placed over the stone slope. Right now solemn Mass is being celebrated over his tomb ... which is under the altar of the Dominican priory outside the walls of the Old City.

The weather is really wintry. This morning I had to walk to the Ivrea and it was cold and wet. Now it's drizzling heavily and the wind is so strong the drops cuts into the flesh. I wanted to go and deliver the chives to the chinese sisters but because of the weather, I've decided to stay home. Since yesterday I've been coughing very bad ... like an onset of pneumonia. Serious. I need to stay home and warm. But this morning, in the strong drizzle, I decided to work in the garden. It's the perfect time to plant tulip bulbs ... and I had to repot the canna lilies that are killing our rose bush. Those bulbs have grown so deep into the giant pot of heirloom rose bush I had to use a spade to dig the out.

The rest of the day will be slow ... I need to rest. Tomorrow begins a hectic day on excursion with some nuns and Saturday it'll be excursions with the seminarians. No rest till hopefully Sunday.

News just in ... a teen was swept away by strong currents as he and a friend tried to cross a stream on their all-terrain buggy. They should have known better. Nature here is raw and vicious ... never take anything for granted.  https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ByR4Hbz1I?fbclid=IwAR2ihv58JJpJCkls6DLDg2ng-Wd5yOzECM-2VFpWSWmXIbDEOFFGuVPkwcU

Christmas

Christmas bouquet with berries

It's Christmas ... our sanctuary of St. Peter's in Jaffa was packed all through the night. Every hour there was a Mass in a different language. I had the first vigil Mass which was in english. It was standing room only. Half the crowd was jewish. They came to see how Christmas is celebrated. And they packed every other Mass as well ....  polish, spanish, hebrew ...

There were no stop confessions especially in russian ... lots of them coming to ring our doorbell. And the indian Mass had 2000 people ... so many there were some 12 priests and seminarians helping to distribute communion. And being a holiday we had no cook so we had to buy cooked food the morning so we could microwave it for lunch and dinner. No time to cook. I bought some thai street food from the Carmel market 2 kms away ... and luckily they were large portions because suddenly for dinner 5 others showed up and ate it a well. We had papaya salad, pahd thai, tom yam soup and pahd krapao.

Thai street food for dinner

After the Christmas morning Mass I came home to help in our kitchen. We have no workers as well so our sisters had to do everything. Too stressed. They could't enjoy Christmas. I bought bread and laid the table and clean the kitchen so they didn't have to do all that ... and can have more free time to enjoy Christmas.

It started snowing in the north this morning ... now let's see if it spreads down to the south here. It's dreadfully cold and the wind is extremely strong and cold. Lots of stuff have been blown down from houses. I was nearly knocked down by the wind while walking to church.

Christmas Eve

Choppy sea at Jaffa

It's Christmas Eve ... and it's very cold in Jaffa by the sea. I arrived late because many roads in Tel Aviv were blocked due to works on the new tram line. My driver got dreadfully lost ... but luckily I saw the tall spire of the Russian Church ahead and directed our driver from there. So after setting off from Jerusalem at 4.45am ... I only reached Jaffa at 6.30am and was too late for the morning Mass. And though Jaffa is many degrees warmer than Jerusalem, it actually feels a lot colder. Maybe it's the sea breeze. The sea is very very choppy and everyone is saying it'll rain heavily tomorrow. I doubt it. The sky is just simply deep blue and cloudless. Then again, anything can happen.

Carmel Market this morning

I took a long walk down to Carmel Market in Tel Aviv ... about 2kms away. It's always lively there ... especially now during the Hanukkah feast. Tourists and locals mingle in the tiny streets of the market selling from food to vegetables to clothes to religious souvenirs. A very strange assortment of goods. Most from China ... as the discarded cartons are printed boldly. And I found the Thai cookout ...a really tiny place ... that I once bought Pahd Krapao 2 years ago but since couldn't find it. In the veggie stalls there were lots of chives ... which are not available in Jerusalem for some reason ... so I bought 3 bunches for our chinese sisters. Then it was a long walk back to our Jaffa house for lunch.

Stall selling sufganiot

The walk was very refreshing ... the powerful sea waves bashing the promenade, spraying salty seawater on the walkway. Jogger and strollers in thick hooded jackets skipped out of the way. It felt really good to be out ... away from the cramp, tense, polluted atmosphere of Jerusalem. Spending Christmas Eve here is great.

Anyway I'm actually here to serve the midnight Mass and tomorrow's morning Mass because of a shortage of priests. Our only english-speaking priest has to serve one other parish and 2 other chapels, covering 3 cities, and it's practically to rush from one to another in one night, so I was asked to come and help.

Anyway the tranquil atmosphere is great for my preparation of tonight's and tomorrow's homilies. Back to work.