The Basilica of the Transfiguration

LENT

Mount Tabor

Mt. Tabor finally gave me my first spiritual experience and turned my "trip" into a "pilgrimage"!

the Megiddo Valley

We had spent the day in Caesarea, Haifa, Mt. Carmel and Elijah's Cave.   Now we drove through the Megiddo Valley, which Hillel explained was referred to in the  New Testament as Armageddon, the Hebrew name for Mount Megiddo.  

More Megiddo Valley

It's kinda weird looking out the bus windows at what is considered the future site of Armageddon, the final battle between good and evil.  I looked out over the landscape and it felt surreal.  It's one of those times when you have to change the subject in your own mind or little waves of panic might flutter up. 

Although we rode our tour bus partway up Mount Tabor, we had to transfer to smaller taxi-vans to complete the trip to the top.  The buses cannot make the hairpin turns of the road...

Talk about a zig-zag!!!

Perilous road up to the top of Mount Tabor

The taxi took off and it was like a thrill ride!  Talk about a twisty, narrow road right on the edge of the mountain!  Our driver knew the road well and would speed way up, then slow only as little as he needed to take the tight curves!  I think he was making it as crazy as possible, and was loving the screams and laughter coming from all of us!!

My fellow pilgrims hanging on for dear life!

Look at my fellow pilgrims holding on as we raced up the mountain!  Not even any seat belts!!  LOL!

I'm normally apprehensive when I feel others drive too fast or wild but this ride was great fun to me!!  I don't know why!  I don't know why I wasn't terrified, it's not like we were on a fake thrill ride at Disney World!  No hidden tracks holding us on that road!!  The Guardian Angels must stay very busy watching over Pilgrims on that drive I can tell you!!!

It wasn't long before our insane ride was over, and we arrived safely at the top of the mountain.  Our driver deposited us at the end of a long gravel pathway bordered by a low wall and cypress trees.

the Entrance to the Basilica of the Transfiguration

At the end was a gate which gave us our first view of the lovely Basilica of the Transfiguration.  It was GORGEOUS! 

The Basilica of the Transfiguration

The church rose up at the end of the stone walkway, light rock against that sapphire blue sky - it was breathtaking from the first moment we saw it!  The giant, puffy clouds were moving by quickly and gave the entire image a mystical quality, almost like time passing before my eyes.

To the left and right were multiple little courtyards with archeological gardens full of flowers, stone ruins and interesting-looking paths.  

I did notice this particular cactus....what is wrong with people?  Who scratches graffiti into a living plant???

The front of the church was designed to symbolize the suggestion by Peter to Jesus that the apostles should erect three tents on this spot, one for Jesus and one each for Moses and Elijah.  The side towers, which represent the two prophets are actually shorter than the main nave which represents Jesus, and they all have roofs that are pointy to symbolize tents.

The Basilica of the Transfiguration

We crossed the courtyard and entered the massive church.  Directly inside the door was a grate in the floor.  Looking down, I could see the rocks of the mountain top.  There were hundreds of tiny notes in there - prayers from pilgrims!  

I quickly wrote my prayer request down on paper torn from my journal notebook, folded it and stuck it between the scrolled bars to mingle with the other prayers of the faithful.

The church was immense-looking from the entrance, but once inside although it was tall, the giant pillars and dividing walls made it seem much smaller.  

On either side of the main section of the church are side tabernacles directly under the towers of Moses to the right and Elijah to the left, which I never saw (I didn't even know about them until I returned home and saw pictures of them on the internet!).  Obviously Mom didn't either, because she has no pictures of either one.  Maybe they were in the upper part of the church?  I don't know, but on either side of the Grotto of Christ were other side altars, one had a statue of Mary & Baby Jesus, the other looks like maybe St. Francis, since this is a Franciscan Church? 

These altars look the same, but they are not, check out the symbol in the dome between the angels

On further examination of my photographs, I notice that under the statue of Mary, there is something peeking out of the tabernacle.  I thought it was a host?  But no, maybe a relic?  

(I know that's blurry! Sorry!)  Not sure what it is, but I'm sorry I didn't find out.  : (

In the middle was a glorious mosaic with a gold background depicting the Transfiguration of Jesus.

Later I read:

"In Christian teaching, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between Heaven and Earth.Inside the church has a split level plan with open views down to the barrel vaulted lower level, and upwards to the domed apse. The nave roof is higher on heavy timber trusses with clerestory windows. The roof tiles and the windows are made of alabaster to let in light. The ornamentation of the central nave is simple, with two friezes, one of stone engraving that follows the line of the arches and the other in a straight line of mosaic under the windows. The interior has been described as “a striking vision, a wonderful transfiguration of stone, marble and mosaic [by Umberto Noni]. The central nave gives us a full view of the eastern apse. It has two levels, the upper level commemorating the divine nature of Christ and the lower recalling different manifestations of his humanity.”."

I thought that was a beautiful description of the visually-impressive church!

I was surprised that directly in front of us, the altar we were led to was actually down a set of stairs, under a balcony of some kind.
 
At first I thought we were in a minor altar of some kind (I was actually disappointed), but Fr. N told me later that it was the main sanctuary, called The Grotto of Christ.  The smallness of it seemed odd considering how massive the church was, but I quickly fell in love with it for it's intimacy during Mass.  

The Grotto of Christ, Basilica of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tabor, Israel

I found out later that this altar is on the level of the Byzantine church and the arched ceiling is decorated with mosaics depicting four moments of angelic intervention in the life of Jesus.

So we all settled into the Grotto of Christ, and I heard Fr. T's gorgeous voice coming from behind me....Mass had begun!

This was our first Mass in the Holy Land.  

I was almost beside myself in anticipation of the holy aura I was expecting to decend upon me like the clouds which had decended on this exact place over 2000 years ago!  Just think, to be part of the divine worship of the most Holy Mass, in this most holy of holy spots on earth...God SPOKE here! 

Mass in the Basilica of the Transfiguration

Fr. N and Fr. T stood at that glorious altar and began the familar prayers.  Behind them, the window's art features a set of peacocks, which are a symbol of mortality granted to the followers of Jesus.  According to legend the peacock's flesh does not decay. 

As the Gospel was read, I tried to imprint the words on my heart so that I would always remember, every time I heard these verses, what it was like to stand in this place where Jesus, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James & John had all stood together - and where God told us to listen to His Son. 

Mark 9:2-8

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.

It was surreal and I was overwhelmed with it all!

This was the first time I had heard Fr. N speak, and his sermon was just excellent - so thought provoking; pulling us all back to earth!  

He said that when Jesus was transformed, the apostles wanted to stay and bask in the feeling, the wonderousness of it.  They wanted to set up tents and stay.  But Jesus went back to his normal, his regular self.  He knew he had a job to do, a mission to complete.  He had to return to his life at the bottom of the mountain.  And we too must enjoy and bask in the glorious sites and sounds of our pilgrimage, but we must also return to our normal lives to continue the work God has for us.

So true!

When it was time for the consecration, I could just imagine the bread being transfigured into Jesus.  (I know that isn't correct theology, but these are my thoughts on my journey, and that is what I was thinking!).

As I went up to recieve communion, I knew I was not doing this holy place justice with my pitiful prayers, but as I turned to return to my seat, there was the glass-covered rock which is suppose to be where Jesus was standing when the transfiguration occurred, and I paused with the host in my mouth and stood still on that spot for a moment and my eyes just filled with tears and my heart seemed to swell.  

Mom standing on the spot where Jesus Transfigured

I went back to my seat and knelt down and then cried all the way through the final blessing.  It was an indescribable feeling, but definitely a good one.  : )

When I emerged from mass (and it really felt like we were physically "emerging" as we climbed up out of the grotto into the sunlight streaming through the giant doors of the church and also spiritually "emerging" from the Prayer of Mass) I felt almost euphoric!  Like that happy feeling after going to confession, but x 10!

We went to the balcony of the Franciscan hospice and looked out on the view of the Plain of Jezreel, which means "God sows".  Looking out across the panoramic view, all the fields are a testament that the area is very fertile.  No wonder it is called "the breadbasket of Israel".

You also can't help but think about the various battles which have taken place down there over the years, including the famous one led by Deborah from the Old Testament.

The Basilica sits amongst the ruins of a Benedictine monastery.  

 There are many old walls, stairs and crumbling buildings scattered around the site.

It was out among these ruins that I found the perfect rock to take home to Morgan for his collection.

Then, unlike the early pilgrims who used the 4300 steps cut into the rocky slope to climb up and down this holy mountain, we jumped back into our roller-coaster-taxis-ride and hung on for the harrowing journey back down the crazy road to our bus.   

At the taxi-stand we waited for the bus by looking at trinkets and drinking pomagranet juice!

The price of my cup of juice:  10 shekels, which was around $2.50.  (btw, thank you very much JP for treating me!)

We were actually getting the most for our money on this day @ 4 shekels for a dollar.  After this, we only got 3 shekels for each $1 all the rest of the trip.

At the end of the day, I was lying on my bed in our hotel room pondering the day and writing notes about the events and my thoughts.  

The windows were open to catch the breeze (I couldn't figure out how to work the thermostat in our room as it was written in Arabic or Hebrew or something!  LOL!).  

Right at sunset, I heard the Muslim "call to prayer" for the first time. 

It's an erie song, with a chanting kind of cadence.  I asked Hillel about it and he said they do it 5 times a day, summoning all the Muslims for mandatory prayers.  The tower that the "call" comes out from is called a minaret.  The main reason behind the loud pronouncements is to bring to mind the Islamic beliefs to all the believers and non-believers within earshot.  Although it used to be done by the holy men in the past, now it's automated with loud PA systems. 

View From My Window - Nazareth

 Minaret of Mosque is lit up in green lights

Bell Tower of the Christian Church is lit up in golden lights

When the Call to Prayer was complete, I stayed at the window enjoying the lovely sunset and the sounds floating up from the street.  While I was standing there, the bells of the Christian Church up the hill from the Mosque began to peal and ring out the time: 6:00 pm.  Way off in the distance I could hear other church bells ringing also.  It was much more lovely to listen to than the drone of the Call to Prayer, that's for sure!!

I stood at the window until it was almost completely dark (as my dozen or so pictures of the sunset attest too!  LOL!) and happily ended the first full day of my pilgrimage to Israel.

Dear Lord, Thank You for this day!  I feel like Peter, I want to say "oh Lord, it is so good that we are here and everything is so wonderful and I never want it to end!  Let us stay here like this forever! "  But I know I cannot and must return to my normal life.  Lord, help me to always keep my hands and mind on the work you have for me, but allow my heart to stay in touch with the wondrous feelings of this day!  Amen.


2012 Pilgrimage to Israel - Day One 
Most of this blog entry is taken from one of the few actual journal notes I wrote while on my trip in Israel 2012