St. Catherine Monastery, Holy & God-Trodden

 

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.  The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud.  

Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the Israelites. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

                                              Exodus 24: 15-18 NRSVue

Can you think of personal "mountain top" experiences, actual and metaphorical?  I've had the pleasure of huffing and puffing my way up mountain trails in the Rockies as well as more modest climbs in other locations which offered meaningful vistas. Lots of them have been profound spiritual moments.

One climb I'd hoped for in my thirties, will never happen, although I'm okay with this. After my first visit to Israel I strategized with my travel agent mother about returning and including a visit to St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Desert of Egypt. She had been there, flying in a small plane, not long after the Sinai was ceded back to Egypt by Israel. Officially known as the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden, it was built between 548 and 565, and is reputed to be the world's oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery. It is under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Church and is a United Nations World Heritage Site. 

Is this the actual Mount Sinai of Moses fame, the mountain he climbed to receive the Ten Commandments? Who knows. As I've mentioned before, in the Holy Land there seem to be multiple locations for every bibiical story. 

Just the same, visiting Sinai is said to be breathtaking. The monastery is at the base of the mountain but for many the holy experience is climbing to the top in the dark during the wee hours of the morning to greet the sunrise.I thought this would be be a spectacular natural and spiritual event but as a family guy at the time I just couldn't make the trip work, even as an adjunct to another tour I was leading. 

Why has this come to mind for me now? Egypt, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the state of Greece have been squabbling over Egyptian plans to develop the area for tourism. But after tense negotiations, Greece and Egypt have finalized an out-of-court deal that will be signed by the leadership of the monastery and the Egyptian authorities. According to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis the deal "guarantees the character of the monastery in perpetuity. Any conversion of the monastery as well as of the other places of worship is prohibited.”

I sense that the "mountain top" experience on Sinai has already changed considerably in the 35 years since I hoped to go, less of a pilgrimage and more of a social media event. I hope that efforts will be made to ensure that Sinai will remain holy and God-trodden.