October 14, 2000

Saturday Mass.

The floating schedule for Saturday evening Mass continues. We are learning to read the bells (some bells mean that someone has died, some mean that Mass will be in an hour, some just mean "pretty tune time."), which tend not to be the main mode of communication in the States. I think we're getting the hang of it, though we were half an hour late for Mass today.

Also, something amazing happened today that requires some background. Two days ago, right after the bombing of Ramallah and Gaza, we were confronted by a man who had very strong words for us because of our government's words and actions toward Palestinians. Tonight, we sat with him at a mutual friend's house and drank coffee. He wanted to apologize and be sure that we knew we were most welcome in Zababdeh - his words came in the heat of that terrible moment. We apologized for our government, but had no such excuse. After a lengthy conversation, he invited us to his house to share food with his family. Even in these difficult times, we feel blessed by this taste of reconciliation.