Stromata

Amazing skies

Facebook and Blogspot still under attack. Our IT expert thinks it's a virus that has spread to other computers in our workspace, that's why none of them can access these 2 apps. It's widespread. Hopefully both companies do something about it soon.

The weather continues to hover below 20 degrees during the day and as low as 12 degrees in the night. I think Christmas will be alot colder ... maybe snow as well ... at least that's what we hope.

The govt has allowed zoos and restaurants to reopen in tourist spots ... in fact tourist cities like Eilat will be opened. They need the tourist dollar to pull up the economy. However it's unlikely any tourists will come because their own countries will require them to be in quarantine after their return. Infection rates still are around 500 a day. I am enjoying the quiet streets and silence during the day. I can walk freely in the streets without jostling with tourists. 

My plantar fasciitis is still hurting me very much, making walking almost impossible. But once I start walking for 10 minutes, the sole loosens up and the pain goes away. But I must keep walking. If I stop, the pain returns immediately. 

Tensions up in the north with Syria are growing as Israel bombed Damascus yesterday. I just even Gaza in the south will become tense in the next few days. It's unlikely all out war will break out ... the pandemic is doing a good job in keep everyone at a distance. Something good is coming out of this coronavirus. 

Bombarded

Bro. Lorenzo &
clothes donation

My facebook has been hacked and now I cannot enter it except sometimes through my cellphone.  Or rather I think it's something else - when someone repeatedly bombards my page with so many views, the page collapses. This is so frustrating. Now I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

So my heel pain is diagnosed as plantar fasciitis due to too much walking and flat foot. I'll have to walk less ... which is impossible. But getting insoles in the shoes is possible. I'll go to a podiatrist as soon as I can walk there. Hahahahahaha.

For the past 2 weeks I've been gathering donations of clothes and medicines and transporting them to the MC convent in Bethlehem. The sudden cold has made the poor people suffer much, especially because there is no electricity. They need thick winter clothes. bethlehem is higher in altitude than Jerusalem so it usually is several degrees colder. Some seminarians help me load the bags of donations unto the car each time as I'm unable to do it all by myself. But after 3 transfers, the borders have been closed and now we're not able to enter the town from Israel. Anyone who enters Bethlehem or the palestinian Territories must be quarantined for 14 days. That's really tough for the people inside in the territories. To show you how a=bad the situation is, UNRWA is appealing for help as they're down in funds. America had cut off funding so the agency cannot provide food, medicine, education to the palestinians. Please pray that our small amount of help is able to get in there soon.

There's been clashes among citizens today when outdoor malls were allowed to open. Crowds lined up for hours to buy clothes and other stuff, and shops are allowed only 4 persons inside each time. As a result tempers flared and verbal and physical clashes resulted. It's so unfortunate that people no longer learn to bear with one another anymore.

Chill

Winter rose

 Monday ... and it's chilly. Noon time was no higher than 19 degrees though the sun was shining brightly. I went to work at 8.30am in a T-short and a light autumn hoodie. But by noon it was chilly enough that I had to wear a thicker hoodie over the autumn hoodie. People outside were wearing down jackets and woollen beanies. Food stalls selling hot food were making brisk business as people stopped to eat or drink something hot to keep warm. 

And in the Christian Quarter, shops have opened selling christmas decorations. It's not even Advent. And such shops are considered non-essential. But the police close an eye. It's the festive season and people need business. People are too poor to buy these decorations this year, but we pray even a little business might help bring some cheer to some others.

The chilly weather is making the roses bloom in clusters. My little terrace with a row of 10 rose bushes are very fragrant with the blossoms. And the marigolds are also blooming. It's wonderful to see the golden flowers with the pink roses together. The Spring bulbs on the other hand  are sprouting lots of strong leaves. I think their blossoms next year will be profuse. Looking forward to them.

Meantime my right heel is hurting even more. Walking is excruciating and I limp badly as a result. Still I continue to walk because if I don't, the muscles and nerves might get worse. And yesterday the sisters of Ivrea called to say one of their teachers in their kindergarten tested positive for coronavirus so their kindergarten is closed from today and all the sisters had to get tested. I was there the whole of last week to celebrate Mass ... so I hope I didn't catch it. I'll be watching for the symptoms.

Feast day

On MC blackboard

 Another very busy week. One main event was the storm that came overnight during midweek. Thunder and lightening. The coastal cities were inundated but Jerusalem only had a few hours of showers. Still it was good ... it felt like winter. Towards Friday it was sunny again though temp. never went beyond 20 degrees. Last night again we had thunder and showers all night. It's about 16 degrees right now and very dark gloomy skies. You could see everyone in winter clothes ... hoodies and thick jackets. It's so cold at night that I have my small heater on.

MC nuns with gifts

Last Tuesday was my feastday - St. Leo the Great. I went to Bethlehem to deliver medicines to the MC nuns and they prepared a cake for after Mass with them. They had the usual song and dance (literally). Tambourines and arab drum banging loudly to their songs. And they also had quails' eggs which a neighbour gave them! Haven't eaten them in ages! They gave me a dozen to bring home. The sisters here care for several handicap men whom families have abandoned. It was good to be with the sisters and celebrate the feastday.

Cake & quails' eggs

Work continues to be very demanding. Constant requests for books to be scanned or photocopied are numerous and I cannot manage anymore as the photocopy machine finally broke down under the load. 

Healthwise my right heel and left ankle continue to hurt very much. Even the right knee is weak and I fell several times. And a tooth cracked so it hurts as well. Not a good week. But life goes on. The viral infection remains at 500+ a day so that's good news for us. Let;s hope 2021 brings us better luck!

Panettone homemade

 

Sunrise at Rockefeller Park

The weather continues to be cold and humid .... feels like rain, there was thunder this evening and the sky is red ... but we're not quite sure. Last night was 13 degrees and the highest today was 19 degrees. Chilly but pleasant. This week is my turn to go to the Sisters of Ivrea convent to celebrate Mass. It's 1km outside the Old City, and though many of our younger guys could get there in 10 mins, I need 25 mins to half an hour. Old age has caught up, and my painful ankle and knee and asthma just carry the old body for 1km anymore. I leave at 5.30am which is very dark during this winter, and when Mass ends the sun is just rising at 6.30am. I have to pass by the Rockefeller Park and the sunrise there is beautiful. 

It's been a full morning of financial work at our economato today  ... I get to greet all the workers there, some I have known for decades. It's good seeing them. After dealing with all the transations for bying books and renewing subcriptions, I managed to get a sum of money to buy medicines for M. Teresa's sisters in Bethlehem. They need alot of medicine now that the flu season has started. The poor and handicap that they care for have low resistance, and with the corona pandemic still hanging around, the situation is not good for them. So the sisters asked for lots of medicines. I guess I'll need a couple fo seminarians to help me carry them. It's literally a carload.

Homemade panettone

Tomorrow is my onomastico ... or feastday or patron saint's day ... St. Leo the Great. My community decided to celebrate it yesterday (Sunday) instead when everyone is home. One of our students baked 4 panettone ... a christmas bread. That was great ... nobody here has seen how panettone is baked before. There was also a chocolate cake baked by our new cook Georgette. And there was roasted lamb for the main dish! My favourite! It was cooked till it was so tender, the meat slipped off the shank. It was a good meal ... one of the rare moments when I actually eat a full meal at a proper mealtime! 

Retreat day

 Back on the blog again. As you can see I've been up to my neck with work ... no time even to eat. I eat only one meal at 3pm as every hour is packed with some work or other. It's hectic. But I try to get as much work finished as possible and not leave it for tomorrow.

Bethesda Pool archeological
site

Yesterday I had a good break though. Went to next door St. Anne's Church which includes the Bethesda Pool where Jesus healed the paralytic by the pool. The chinese sisters and I and Fr. Abraham our student who's a missionary in Taiwan decided to have a day's retreat.  It was a great place. Despite being inside the Old City and surrounded by muslim houses, the enormous grounds were very silent. Birds chirp and sing among the huge cypress trees, bees buzzing through the rosemary bushes ... even a preying mantis was basking in the sun. We spent the day meditating on the explanations of the Fathers of the Church regarding the healing of the paralytic at this Pool of Bethesda. At 5pm we ended with a Mass ... and it was very dark by then. Using torchlights to get to the main gate, we noticed lots of frogs and toads jumping all over the ground. I've not seen toads and frogs all these 30 years here. It was amazing. I guess it's because of the abundance of water in the pools that's letting these amphibians breed. All in all it was a good refreshing day .... no work, no phones, no computers.

Our Patriarch comes home

Our Patriarch has returned to claim his diocese. It was a very low key affair as corona restrictions don't allow large gatherings. The Patriarch made his solemn entry through Jaffa Gate ... a ritual since Crusader times late in the night. Clerics and lay people had gathered to welcome him ... and tough the police were there, they did not stop the procession. The installation of the Patriarch which usually takes place in the co-cathedral in solemn ceremony was reduced to a reading of the papal decree around a meeting table. The annals of the patriarchate will not let this unusual event go by without photographic and audio/visual testimony.

I'm back in reality ... and even though it's Sunday, I've started work. Another gruelling schedule this week. Need food reinforcement ..... hahahahahahahaha.

Winter storm

Storm over Bethlehem

 One of the biggest storms we've had all year ... floods in the southern cities and desert. Jerusalem being up in the mountains, was hit by the storm till last night and today. Strong winds and heavy rain brought the temperature down to 13 degrees during the day. Everyone had sweaters and woollen clothes on. It felt like the middle of winter. I had to use my small heater last night as I was shivering in the early morning hours.

I had to go to Bethlehem this morning to bring food and money to M. Teresa's sisters. Our seminarians had helped me bring 6 bags of winter clothes to them yesterday. They were too heavy for me to carry alone. Their convent had no electricity due to the storm. But after one minute after my arrival, it came back on. What a relief! We had Mass and I asked the sisters for some rose cuttings. The rose plants I gave them several years ago have huge blooms .... very healthy. I wanted to plant them in pots in my house now ... a sort of return home for the roses. The sisters also cooked chapati for me to celebrate my feast day next week. That was nice of them. I might stop by again next week to bring more winter clothes

Bethlehem street in rain

The streets in Bethlehem were packed with people, shops and hawkers plying their trade despite the storm. Some people wore masks but majority did not. Distancing is an impossibility in the narrow packed streets. No wonder the infection rate there is very high. In fact the main checkpoint to enter Bethlehem from Israel is closed. There is a danger that carriers from the town might enter Jerusalem and cause another spike in the infection. I had to enter Bethlehem from another village 3 kms south and returned to Jerusalem through the desert route passing Shepherds Field.   

The weekend is forecast to see sunny weather again. Strangely I hope it won't last too long. It's winter and rain and snow is part of Christmas.