Today I had another fruitless day in the library. I fear there really is little more to be learned about the Bethlehem Shepherds from the books. Next week I hope to visit Tantur--the Notre Dame Study center out here and snoop some more, but not finding what I needed in the library--and promising my loved ones [...]
I had a disappointing day today. The details I am trying to track down about the Bethlehem Shepherds proved even more elusive. I am basically trying to find some evidence for a preaching point that I came across a couple of years ago--that the Bethlehem Shepherds were raising the livestock to be used in the temple [...]
Abouna Rami is a Franciscan who is also the parish priest of St Catherine Church in Bethlehem. St Catherine Church is the beautiful 19th century church which is adjacent to the Greek Orthodox controlled Church of the Nativity. It is, if you like, the Catholic Church of the Nativity. Abouna Rami was introduced to me by [...]
This morning I celebrated Palm Sunday liturgy here at the Dominican Church with the Dominican friars, the students and scholars here and a local French speaking congregation. About 100 of gathered in front of the monastery for the first gospel and blessing palms. A few pictures are on Twitter. The liturgy was simple, beautiful and very [...]
Today I spent the morning in the library, and in the afternoon donned my cassock and hiked over to the Latin Patriarchate (see JD 6) to participate in "The Solemn Entrance". This entailed a procession through the streets of the old city with at least 100 Franciscan friars (and this poor sinner) to the Church of [...]
Yesterday was spent in the library. I was planning to go back to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at 5:00 for the daily procession, but I got absorbed in library work and it was 5:00 before I knew it. The library here at Ecole Biblique is incredible. Thousands of volumes on every aspect of the [...]
Thursday and I've been in Jerusalem for one week. Not only has it been a task getting over jet lag--the worst case I've had in decades of travel...but it has taken time to adjust to the beautiful routine of the Dominican friars. Their prayer schedule is not as taxing as staying in a Benedictine house. We [...]
A friend said for every hour of changed time allow one day to get over jet lag. This means I'll not be in synch until Friday! Still not sleeping and missing morning prayers with the friars, but I'm getting some good time in in the library. There has been a fair bit of background reading, but [...]
The day here at the Dominican Priory begins with Lauds (Morning Prayer) at 7:30, but still suffering from jet lag I didn't sleep and finally woke up around 9:30. There was still some coffee and Israeli flat bread for a bit of breakfast, but after that went to the library to continue research. The library here [...]
Tuesday, April 5 Still suffering from jet lag I hardly slept, but finally drifted off around 4 am and woke too late to attend Lauds with the friars. I managed to get some breakfast then head to the library. What am I actually doing here? you may ask. Well, you may know that in 2017 I [...]