Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Mountaintop Experience

After an exhilarating and spiritually fulfilling time on and near the Sea of Galilee we left the convent, not without reluctance.  The eve of our departure, my dad took me out to the gardens and we enjoyed gazing at the stars, contemplating the longevity of those celestial sentients and how they were burning in the time of Christ and will be burning long after we are gone.  All in all our time by the sea was very humbling, as we explored the real human side of the man Jesus - as we Beheld the Man!
Before leaving the hills of Galilee we ascended to the top of Mt Tabor, the tallest peak in the Galilee area and the site of the transfiguration.  The synoptic Gospels and 2 Peter refer to the moment that Christ ascended into heaven to join the other prophets, Moses and Elijah, from a mountain.  As Mt Tabor is the only real mountain in the region, it's believed to be the site of the ascension.  Bridging heaven and earth in His resurrection and ascension this is mystical and magical place.  To receive the Eucharist in this place was truly special, even more so because we were able to take our own space in the forest atop the mountain and really listen.  The day was hazy and it was difficult to see the surrounding pastures and plains.  We really felt like we were in a new place, a place where the Spirit dwelt.  Powerful!
The church itself, built by the Crusaders, is spectacular.  With 4 different worship areas all set in the east part of the building so that worshipers are facing the rising sun, it is one of the more enchanted churches in my opinion. (see picture - it doesn't do it justice)
From the top we descended into the desert - Jericho: the oldest and lowest city in the world.  Wow!  The food there is unbelievably sweet and I don't mean in Snickers kind of way.  The environment below sea level in an oasis surrounded by desert produces some of the best fruits and nuts in the world.  After a meal of lamb and chicken kabobs and our first dose of french fries in the Holy Land! we went to a produce market where Najati hooked it up!  Fresh almonds, bananas, dates, "diet dates"(!), and much more abounded.  I picked up some olive oil soap, almonds and peanuts and shared some of Papa's oranges.  So delicious!
After provisioning we were headed home to Jerusalem for some R&R.  We didn't get back to the city till about 3 and after a late night in Galilee star-gazing and late night skyping with family and friends I was just pooped, so I enjoyed a sweet nap and wrote some postcards (I think my count is around 15 - if you don't get one, I apologize, I'm doing my best!).  After dinner a small group went about a block to the Christmas Hotel where there was rumor of some sheesha and a gorgeous courtyard.  For those that don't know, sheeshah is flavored tobacco that you smoke out of a water pipe (not a bong as a few old geezers kept referring to it as!), it's quite classy.  While enjoying a smoke and some tea we struck up a rousing theological conversation and I think I learned something new from everyone in the group.  As Trina (the Dean's daughter) commented, "It was a very American conversation." I can't really describe the conversation more aptly without getting really involved, so I'll leave it at that.  Let me just close by saying that it was one of the more intellectually stimulating evenings I've had on the trip and I will remember it with great clarity.  And now we begin gearing up for the Passion of Christ journey in Jerusalem.

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