Children have the upper hand

If we have the eagerness to celebrate life as much as children do, we definitely have fewer problems. It’s -9o here at Cassine on 20th December 2009 and the cold is – well imaginable but that’s not going to stop them from pulling their mother’s apron to the piazza to ride on the trenino, visit the presepe, and most importantly tickling the aging at the hospice to moments of laughers with their presumptuous gifts and Christmas carols. I see the impatience of these children to celebrate but such impatience would have been a treasure in our adult world.
And watch out, we are definitely going for a white Christmas. Some think it unfortunate but I think it is romantic and poetic so the song reminds us. In truth, it takes you back to the manger.

It's time for Christmas

Be it in the Christian world of the West or the world of other faiths, Christmas is still phenomenal to our planet. In a sense Christ is proclaimed worldwide even if it is for many a season of profit making. Bringing together families, relatives, friends, acquaintances and communities definitely is the height of Christmas regardless of one’s faith. I always loved and highly value this aspect of coming together.
Unconsciously this thought was conscious to me as we (me and Breson) spent our time with friends from S. Elena di San Severino Marche on 13th December 2009. They (eight in number) came to Rome for no particular intention if not to visit us and exchange Christmas wishes. That make a lot of sense to friends.
We passed off the day having nothing to do in particular (that wasn’t the purpose) but found no sufficient time. We participated at the Angelus with Papa at St. Peter’s Square, enjoyed ourselves a leisure lunch to the self service Ciao Restaurant at Termine, make a merry go round the city – passed the Christmas stalls, visited P. spagna, fontana di trevi, monte citorio, Pantheon, P. Navona or along the trastevere. This is good for a meaningful Christmas celebration in context. We can definitely carried forward such wonderful experience into the Christmas event and pray for each other more concretely even when one is not physically present to each other. I offer the same complement to everyone, friends in particular to a happy Christmas preparations and to the meaningful celebrations.

See friends of the Day (video clip).

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FEELING AT HOME IN NAPLES-POMPEII

I, together with Breson and Marwein make a dashing visit to Naples-Pompeii on 5th and 6th December 2009. In a word, I felt quite at home. As you alight the train, you will be surprised to see the leaking roofs at different parts of the station. Walk in through the street, you sense the shit all over, you will not be surprised of the blasting horning from all directions and if you are crossing the road you got to be very careful, they get right through you. People are definitely rough and tough and rustic and less discipline. And of course, they look suspicious too. There is sufficient disorder here and I felt at home at the very first sight as we ourselves are from a house of disorder-India. I made no comparison with other cities of Italy, be it in its orderliness, beauty, aesthetic and artistic consciousness or whatsoever. Naples has its own originality in its disorder. We had a different experience altogether.