Migrants event

Barbecue and mooncakes

The chinese community gathered on Friday evening to celebrated a belated Mid-autumn festival. It was not easy for the workers to come from various parts of the country especially the north because of the war. Still about 20 managed to come. They prepared meat for barbecue and I brought mooncakes which they were homesick for. It was also a good break for some of them who live daily and nightly under missile attacks. That night they could sleep in peace.

Migrant Day Mass

The next morning there was the Mass for Migrants Day [resided by the auxiliary bishop Rafic of Galilee. Several hundred migrant catholics from over a dozen countries gathered for the Mass, each in their national costumes. After Mass there was a cultural show and pot luck lunch from each nationality. It was very enjoyable and for a few hours, everyone forgot there was a war going on. 

The regional events the past few days were quick and unexpected. Jerusalem is still calm and safe though security has been stepped up. Families from the north especially Haifa and Akko have moved down south.  Our Sunday Masses were more crowded as a result for these Christian families displaced by the war.

Un-mercenary saints

 It's the weekend again ... another week has flown by. Soon the end of the year will arrive. Winter appears to be cold this year ... judging from the chill that we're already experiencing now. What is lacking is the rain. It should come in the next few weeks after Sukkot ... fingers crossed.

Cosmas and Damian

Yesterday was the feast of Ss. Cosmas and Damian, the 2 Syrian brothers who were also medical doctors. There was once an ancient monastery dedicated to them here in the Old City., Today it is the 6th Station of the Cross run by the Little Sisters of Jesus (Charles de Foucauld). A few of the remains still exist in a closed-off part of the chapel. The MC sisters wanted to see so I brought them there. The ancient mosaic floor was still there with some arches. We prayed for the sick in the ancient ruins. Cosmas and Damian healed the sick without asking for money ... hence their greek nicknames "the holy un-mercenaries." With the high medical prices and insurance, we need to pray to these 2 saints to protect the sick who are poor and cannot pay for medical services. 

There's an icon of them inside the ruins. Few people get to see this place as it's not open to the public. But it's good to know it exists. Special arrangements can be made to see it after contacting the Little Sisters.

Ancient ruins of the monastery

The fighting in the north has not abated. And just after midnight a missile from Yemen entered local airspace into Tel Aviv. Luckily it was detected and taken down before it hit any targets on the ground.  The damage would have been substantial. At 4am the roar of fighter jets disturbed the silent night  ... they were flying in droves and I could hear them overhead my room. Everyone here is praying for peace ... for a stop to the violence. But it remains as elusive as the winter rains. Maybe Cosmas and Damian can heal these wounds of hatred.

Autumn

Acorns

As the weather cools to 16 degrees at night, and very humid with lots of dew in the early morning, many autumn fruit have ripened and are on sale in the streets. Pomegranates, dates, guava, peaches and dragon fruit. It's very expensive though. I noticed the acorns on oak trees growing as well. There're a couple of oak trees in the park outside Damascus Gate and I enjoy watching them flower in Spring and the acorns ripen in autumn. We don't have squirrels to hoard them ... but there're woodpeckers who do the same job.

I've been forgetting many things .. leaving them here and there and not finding them. I expected this. It's the 2nd week as I wean off prednisone and I know these are the side-effects. And I'm getting muscular spams as well. Right now my neck muscle is sprained and I cannot turn my head. It's such a bother. Now I worry if I will lose my way home. Happened a couple of times before. I'll have to write a note and keep it in my pocket so I can remind myself where I'm going.

Fighter planes were roaring overhead all morning. The war in the north has worsened and many on both sides are dead or wounded. Our annual Franciscan feasts in Nazareth have all been cancelled. Our friars in Galilee tell us of daily missile alerts and explosions. It's tragic. 

Rain

Scurrying in the rain

The first rain this autumn has fallen. Sunday Mass had just ended and lots of people were coming out of the church when the sudden shower broke and sent people scurrying home. But everyone enjoyed it. Children were dancing and playing in the rain while adults were happily telling each other that the rains have come. It's a blessing. Let's hope it won't stop here. We desperately need it as it was a drought year last year.

A week has past since the last blog. It's been an unsettling week. My course of prednisone is reduced to 10mg and the withdrawal symptoms begin ... depression and confusion. However my breathing is very much improved. And I can walk longer distances because the breathing is better. I just cannot climb stairs. Or carry heavy stuff.

The war in the north had escalated the past few days. Our hospitals in Nazareth were told to move their patients to underground carparks. Hundreds of missiles were into the country, causing injuries. Likewise Lebanon was wrecked by attacks. It's a tragic situation. So much suffering. Maybe the rains will bring some blessings of peace. We so much need it now.

Rain clouds

Cloudy morning

It's chilly in the mornings ... very humid with lots of dew at dawn. Rain clouds blew over us into Jordan. It was so cloudy we couldn't see the almost full moon last night. But you can feel the dampness even if it didn't rain. The ground is wet and slippery. Let's hope it'll rain and snow this winter. We need it so much. Last year it didn't rain at all and the land is parched.

And the dates on the palms are ripening. Wild parrots nip them and Palm Plaza is littered with half-chewed dates and broken branches. I pick up a few each morning for JJ and Dudu to chew. 

Tomorrow will be Mid-autumn festival ... but it's of course not celebrated here. It should coincide with the Jewish feast of Sukkot but the hebrew calendar has added an extra month so Sukkot will be a month from now. I'm hoping to receive some mooncakes so at least the asian religious in Jerusalem can celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival. Fingers-crossed that they'll arrive.

Weekend

Sunset

Definitely autumn weather ... chilly winds in the nights and mornings. You almost need a light hoodie when going out. Autumn fruit are on sale on the streets .... pomegranates, grapes, olives and dates. I'm not even asking the price as prices have skyrocketed. Luckily most houses have a grape vine or an apricot tree so there's a little fruit to eat.

Yesterday there was heavy bombardment in the north, It's been quite aggressive and there's no let up in the northern border fighting. No casualties though. I thought the tensions would be reduced soon as the US warship departed 2 days ago ... and the street-block at Herod's Gate has been removed. Things are easing up ... at least for us here in the central part of the country. But many people are less optimistic than I. sigh*

Tomorrow the muslims celebrate the birthday of Muhammed. It will be calm. There'll be no violence in the City nor in the Mosque compound. That's been the trend this war. I've never seen Jerusalem so quiet in all these years of conflict as this past year. Disinterest? Fear? Hopelessness? I'm not sure. Maybe a mix of everything.

Health-wise my breathing difficulties have been eased alot with the intake of prednisone. It always works ... but like I said before, the side effects are awful. Already I've started losing my memory and getting confused. Hoping that's all I'll have to go through.

Mid-autumn

I didn't realise the Mid-autumn festival will be in a week's time. Time flies so quickly. Several asian nuns here have been asking me about mooncakes .... but because no groups have been coming up, I have no stock to give them. Pity. The number of asian religious priests and nuns have risen significantly here in the Holy Land. The West has no more vocations. 

Happy Feast day

Last Monday our Indian sisters of Maria Bambina celebrated their patron feast (Nativity of the BVM). They're all Indian. A point made about asian religious. They serve in 2 hospitals and our sanctuary here. 

There's also a growing contingent of Burmese nuns here who also work in hospitals and schools. It's a good sign. And vietnamese and indonesian nuns too. All these countries have no diplomatic ties with Israel. But because of the skills they bring into the country, they become a boon to the health and education sectors. That's a big contribution from the asian church.

My health has reached a point where I have to resort to the most drastic medication which I've been trying to avoid. Prednisone. Because it's got strong side effects on mood swings, hallucinations and withdrawal symptoms, I've been avoiding it as much as I can. But the hospital has put me on a course starting with 80mg and weaning off 10mg every 2 days. I had it. I know by Day 3 I'll be having side effects.