Glory on Mount Tabor
DAY 8: TUESDAY 12 FEBRUARY - MT BEATITUDES & MT TABOR We begin our day at the Mount of Beatitudes for Mass as we take time in this special place to ponder Jesus’ message of happiness – the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1–12). Surrounded by prayerful gardens overlooking the north western shore of Lake Galilee, the eight sides of the Church represent the eight beatitudes given by Jesus.
Above (italics) is the generic description from the Pilgrimage company. Actually, we began out day eating a lovely buffet breakfast at the hotel that sits right on the Sea of Galilea. (The Bible also uses the names the "Sea of Tiberias" and the "Lake of Gennesareth" for this same body of water.) As you can see, it was a glorious morning (1)!
This second image is of a kingfisher, similair to the Aussie Kookaburra, except this one had much more colorful plumage. Still the same wonderfully happy face! I had noticed him the morning before and couldn't get a good shot from my phone camera. He sat on this same perch. This morning I brought down my "real" camera and was able to zoom in and get a photo. Still, not as great as I'd like (it's a bit blurry) but after I took the one shot, he spooked and flew away! (I guess I can't complain!)
After breakfast, we went up to the church of the Beatitudes. Here is a selfie of the whole group in front of the church. I have to confess, it's not my favorite church in terms of design (the last couple of photos). I celebrated Mass inside this church the last time I was in the Holy Land, 10 years ago. This time, we celebrated Mass outside, at one of the outdoor altars.
Then we travel west to Nazareth Village, an authentic non-profit re-creation of the village life of Nazareth as in the days of Jesus. Here we will take a parable-rich walk back in time along the path which brings to life the environment and atmosphere which shaped Jesus’ early years and ministry.
This "village" was one of the coolest places we visited this time around and it's relatively new. Last time I was here with Fr. Michael Glastetter, this place either didn't exist or was just starting up. It recreates the everyday life of Jesus and his family in first century Israel. It is set up over the archeological site of an existing village from that time. In other words, Jesus might have come here with his family and seen something very much like what we were seeing!
This first shot is of the ancient looking entrance (after the modern buidling and gift shop). The flowers were blooming as this was in early Spring. The second image above is an olive tree, about 100-150 years old. (In Jerusalen, we saw older ones from the time of Jesus!) Then we met with a shepherd. He is dressed in the traditional clothing of the time. The pilgrims wanted me, their "shepherd," to pose with him in this third photo. And here are some shots of his sweet sheep, including a little lamb sticking close to its mama.
Along the way they showed us a traditional tomb (7). The rock would roll and seal it. Within are niches for 4-6 bodies dug into the wall of the natural cave; the deceased were left there, wrapped in burial shrouds, until later. Then whatever was left (usually bones) were put in boxes and then stored in an inner chamber, leaving the outer niches free for future bodies.
We met an ancient carpenter (8) and a weaver who worked in wool (10). They explained their craft and how to use ancient tools int he time of Christ. This (11-12) was a lovely collection of all the different colored yarns the weaver could make in the ancient world; in the middle are the things used from nature to color the wools. The hardest color to produce was the purple, which was made from crushing many snails. (Ugh!) Thus, the color came to be associated with royalty.
Finally, we entered a recreated ancient synagogue (13-14). Experts estimated the size of the traditional building in the time of Jesus and remade this one to match. The guide explained that a community of around 20 people would have sat comfortably in this house of worship. The leader would proclaim the Word of God from a hand-written scrolls, such as this one on the pulpit (14).
Afterwards, we were treated to a traditional lunch made from the foods grown there at the village. It was really lovely. We were able to watch a man make and bake big flatbread on an ancient, wood-burning stove. (And then, of course, we ate the warm bread!) They served a lovely lentil soup and had lots of humus and olive oil on hand. They also gave each of us pilgrims a leg of chicken and sliced apples, with a fig and honey dip, for dessert—yummy!
Later, since we were close by and had missed it the day before, we swung by a church built over the actual synagogue where Jesus first preached the Good News (Luke 4:14ff) (see image below). Here Jesus read publically for the first time, selecting the scroll from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah: "And the Spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor…"
We then come to the foot of Mt Tabor before ascending by taxis up the narrow winding road leading to the majestic summit. Here Our Lord’s divinity shone forth in the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-2). After some time to reflect in this breathtaking setting we will better understand Peter’s words ‘Lord it is good for us to be here’.
At the end of our day we went to Mount Tabor, the site of the Lord's Transfiguration. (Isn't it serendipitous that this blog is posted on the Second Sunday of Lent, when we hear proclaimed this scene?) We had to wait at the bottom for these little buses ("taxis") to come and take groups of pilgrims the 10-15 minute drive up the mount. It was a good 90 minute wait for a bus with little seating. We were some of the last people there. upon arriving at a parking lot, you get out and walk through a garden to this magnificent church (1). Like so many other places, it is run by the Franciscans of the Holy Land; this is their coat of arms (2). Inside is a huge worship space. Over the main altar is a domed apse with a mosaic of the story.
Beneath the apse is a small grotto (1). At the back is a stained glass window of peacocks (2), ancient symbols of the Risen Christ. In the vault over the altar is a mosaic of trios of angels. At the foot of each trio is an image representing Christ: the Babe of Bethlehem (4), the wheat and grapes used for the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood (6), the Passover Lamb (8) and the Word of God (9; oops, I didn't get a detail of it).
As in the morning, that evening we had a spectacular sunset (10-11). Though it was a cold night (yes, I finally felt the cold), we couldn't help but smile at thoughts of the day and the brilliant moon gracing our descent (12)!