Yesterday was a full, but relaxing day. After saying Mass, we cleaned the chapel and rearranged the sacramental items that piled up over time. It was simply a casual day because it was quiet outside as it is the Islamic equivalent to a Sunday. I had enough projects to do so I didn't mind having a low-key day.
I feel so bad for the people in Europe who are enduring a monster heat wave. Fortunately, it is quite temperate in the MidEast. Europe is seeing unprecedented heat for this time of year. I realize the U.S. is also in drought conditions in many areas. Looking at the maps is quite frightening. Thankfully, we are quite moderate in our weather patterns in Jordan.
Though drove the streets in Amman for two years, the Superior wanted to accompany on my first drive in one of the Center's cars. That was fine. The roads would not be jammed with traffic because of the day off, so we drove down to the downtown area, which has become rather hip. We avoided the heart of the downtown because we just wanted to go out for a short ride, but the area is looking quite smart with new decorations, signage, and for the variety of markets. I'll have to spend an evening down there to see some of the Roman ruins and to glance at the restaurant scene.
We passed by First Circle and Rainbow Street, which is equivalent to the Old Town Main Street. At one end, there are local restaurants with plenty of shi-sha and street falafel. At the other end, the more trendy restaurants and hotels are situated to overlook the Temple of Heracles and the Roman ruins. I was disappointed to learn that my favorite bookstore, Caffe Strada, had closed. It had nice pastries, good coffee, and was non-smoking except for a designated small courtyard area. They also sold current English-language books.
While most people hang out on Rainbow Street, I find there are many pottery shops and other interesting shops on the side-streets. It is a big breakfast place with many restaurants preparing flour pancakes with syrup. There are a few bookstores and art galleries that make it worthwhile, and WildJordan, a tourist agency with lots of things to do inside there store, is on one of the sidestreets.
We passed by St. Joseph's church near First Circle where I used to say Mass on Sundays. The Filipino community has been unable to attend church there since COVID in 2020, and they will be allowed back on August 7th. It will be interesting to see if anyone returns because the Filipinos have shifted to other churches in the area. The compound has a food club and a clerical shirt shore, so many people come to have a nice meal and some recreation time.
By the way, it is still an adjustment to use Jordanian Denari and currency. I was so used to it years ago, but now I have to get used to it again. Many things are just slightly different. For example, if someone sets up for mass, the person will have the book flipped over as if you have finished reading it. It is backwards to e, but as they read from right to left, they set it up in a way they think will be helpful to me.
We had a short coffee with the young pastor of St. Joseph. He was quite welcoming and hospitable. We talked a lot about the future of the local church in the Kingdom. The seminary had to close because they had three applicants during the time of COVID.
I came home in time to meet up with the Filipino community after they said their Sunday mass. We met at the Pontifical Library run by the Teresians. It was a nice time together. It was good to see them after so many years. One woman told me that when I was here in the past that she was single but now she is married. She introduced me to her husband. I asked, "How is married life going?", and he replied, "It is very hard." She nodded and said, "Father, it is hard." Most of the Filipinos are domestic workers and many are not treated with great dignity in their workplaces. There is little time to process what happens to them each day, so if they do not get a chance to talk about it as they get home, those frustrations can build. Mostly, at work, a person doesn't have much freedom. Many of them live with their employers and do not get a chance to build a life independent from them and a situation of dependency and codependency builds.
Sometimes the beauty is just in hearing the stories of the people that they tell you little bits over time. You hear of their resilience, their worldview based on endurance, and the hope they have for the future. The stories are touching and beautiful in their own right, and unfortunately, most of the world does not give time to hear those stories. It is a grace to simply sit with people and accompany them. Pope Francis often talks about a culture of encounter in which we meet "a people." This is what he means. He wants some groups of people to be seen, to be known, to be treated with mercy, and to be valued and cared for in the way that one deserves.
I'm listening to the ways the Jordanians refer to Pope Francis or if they do at all because Church in the Middle East is a different reality than in the West. Church here is often one of a discriminated against minority, but often when they have authority, they use it as the others do. Christians are at their best when they are kind, tolerant, and welcoming, like that old song goes, "You will know we are Christians by our..." We have to decide who we want to be.
At the end of lunch, four young teenagers played guitars for us. They sang, "Country Roads" by John Denver, "Hotel California" by The Eagles, "Downtown" by Petula Clark, and "Yellow Bird," a Jamaican hymn that Harry Belafonte sang. I'm sure they sang more but we had to be on our way. When we left everyone was dancing, clapping, and singing, and you really see the pride in the eyes of the teens who were performing. We left joyfully.
For the evening meal, the Jesuit community assembled for a discussion on the future of the Jesuit Centre in Amman. We knew we were meeting with a well-established Iraqi the next day and that it might be a topic of conversation. It was a pleasant conversation.
I then took at 2 mile walk to Al Abdali mall where I could read a book that I brought with me. I went inside the mall and was walking to a seat when I saw a toddler girl sitting with an old man, maybe her grandfather. She dropped her balloon on a stick and I picked it up for her and gave it to her. She smiled wider than I ever experienced. She was so happy. I waved and she beamed. I went to take my chair and I noticed a shadow after I read the first page and it was the old man who waved to me and the little girl squealed with delight. We exchanged a few words and they left. Two minutes later, a number of people are standing around me. It is the same man with the girl and a bunch of other woman. They all came over to wave "bye-bye" and they went home happy.
I sat and read for a while, took in the moment as people were pleased to be spending time in leisure, and the world seemed like it was in a good place for the night.
It was getting late, about 11 p.m., so I put a few marks on paper and I started creating a stairwell in Amman. I got hooked and I finished a quick painting/drawing that seemed joyful to me. I've attached it. All seemed to be okay in the world tonight.
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