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Published: January 11th 2018
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I decided to start the day with a brunch on the beach at the Primacy of St. Peter. This of course was where the disciples sat down and had breakfast with the resurrected Jesus. I sat there and really tried to imagine what that scene must have been like on that same beach two thousand years ago. Suffice to say a more meaningful meal I cannot remember.
Afterwards it was time to visit the Mount of the Beatitudes. Somewhere on this hill sloping high above the Sea of Galilee Jesus Christ was said to have delivered his most famous discourse, the sermon on the mount, to an assembled multitude. You know the sermon on the mount, right?
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
These beatitudes are just the beginning. The sermon also includes Christian standards such as “love your enemy as yourself” and “turn the other cheek. It is a really big deal and all these words were said right here!
Anyway, I only had a slight idea of where I was going as I set out. On my previous days wanderings, I had seen a small rickety staircase halfway between Tabgha and Capernaum. I had read that this was a way to get up onto the hill, which was the Mount of the Beatitudes, but it looked so puny. Oh well, I ascended and just kept going.
The first thing I came
to was a little hollowed out cave just a short way up. There were all sorts of melted candles and crosses littered around inside. It seemed more likely that Jesus would have delivered the sermon here, as opposed to way up on top of the mount which I could not even see from there. However, I wanted to see the top and the church that sits there, not to mention the views. I pressed on.
I walked through winding trails and flowering landscapes. Everything was so colorful. A mixture of green hills, yellow flowers, and deep blue water. It felt a bit like an Easter morning. One great thing that I read about before I came here and this turned out to be true is that this is the perfect time of year to come to Galilee. Not only is it not blistering hot, but because it comes at the end of the rainy season everything is lush and in full bloom. Most of the year apparently it’s dry and brown.
It was a little confusing, but I found my own way to the top where the church/monastery was located. Well actually I must admit to following, stalking?,
a group of four hikers at a distance. They looked pretty confident though and it prevented me from getting too lost.
The Church of the Beatitudes was done in a Neo-Byzantine style and was sort of cute. On the path leading to it were stone markers with the beatitudes written on them. I thought this was a nice touch. However, the monastery grounds were pretty confining and not nearly as open and inspiring as the hillside I had just climbed up. And I couldn’t get as good a view as I thought I would. So after a look around and a pause for some light refreshment, there was a snack shop, I was rambling back down the mount.
What I wanted to do, and what I did, was to find myself my own natural bit of hillside. After a little search I found myself a perfect spot to recline and enjoy the view. Had Jesus and his disciples done something similar, perhaps after the crowds listening to sermon on the mount had dissipated?
Eventually, I headed home. Back at the Pilgarhaus I went for another swim in the Galilee. This time I found a much better entry
point and the temperature of the water was much warmer. The jet skis buzzing in the distance made it feel positively summerish. After a shower I went back for a prayer journal session at my favorite table. Multitudes of fuzzy rock hyraxes appeared all at once. It was if they knew it was my last day and were saying goodbye.
I had one last thing to do. I would wait until it was almost evening and hike partially back up the Mount of the Beatitudes. My goal was to see the sun set over the Galilee and look back on how far I had come on my pilgrimage. It was funny, as I was walking out of the Pilgarhaus most of the other pilgrims were streaming in after a busy day sightseeing no doubt. I was going back up to the area around the cave with the candles on the side of the hill. I thought there was going to be a lot of people up there looking at the sunset, but I was the only one.
I soon realized that the sun would not be setting over the Galilee, but over the far hillside instead. I was
switching back and forth between listening to religious music on my ipod to listening to the winds of nature. As the light began to fade the whole area around me seemed filled with a supernatural energy. It was so palpable that it was hair raising. At that point I put my ipod on shuffle. As the sun finally set over the hills the wind picked up, yet it was still soft. It set the yellow blossoms dancing in a trail of warm white light leading to the horizon. I was partially blinded as an obscure Moby song came on that I had never listened to before. These were the words:
“Everything around
I could not see
I wish I'd known
How much you loved me
Oh, we could feel this way forever
Oh, we could feel this way forever”
It felt like I was floating. Just like the father in Field of Dreams I wanted to ask, Is this Heaven? I knew then in my heart of hearts that no matter what happened with the rest of my life that things would work out just fine in the end. Pilgrimage over.
Eternity awaits.
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Dancing Dave
David Hooper
Oh to be a pilgrim
Pilgrimage over...now to find the path to the next stage of your journey Tommy. Thank you for sharing your pilgrimage and how it affected your faith and your thoughts about life.