My Buds On Mount Tabor

Memories of the trip Jason and I took to Israel flooded my mind today at Adoration. Sometimes my heart aches to go back there, to be where Jesus lived and walked again.

One day we went to Mt. Tabor, to the Church of the Transfiguration. The roads to the top are switchbacks which the tour buses can't navigate, so we were taken up in small groups by taxi.

Jason and I were among the first group to arrive at the top, and waited in the parking lot for the others. There was a group of children on a field trip waiting for their rides, too, and as I stood there I was swarmed by young boys who saw my camera and wanted me to take their picture. I was happy to oblige, and after every shot they would surround me wanting to see the picture on my digital camera. After a little while, a few girls joined us. I was having a great time, and the kids were, too.

Jason told me that one of the boys had come up to him, pointed to me with his friends and said, "Is okay? Is okay?" and Jason nodded yes. I thought it was cute that the boy realized that Jason was with me, and wanted to make sure it was okay to interact with me.

Later Jason asked me if I had seen the guards holding automatic rifles who were with the children. I was shocked and said that I hadn't noticed them. Our guide explained that guards are sent with school children everywhere to protect them from being kidnapped, both Israeli and Muslim children. I might have felt nervous if I had seen the armed guards watching me with the children, but at the time it didn't seem much different than interacting with children anywhere.

The Church of the Transfiguration is beautiful, with steep, wide steps going down to the sanctuary. There are amazing mosaics around the altar in the grotto. I nearly fell down the steps as I was gawking around, not paying attention to what I was doing, but Jason caught me just in time. I would have felt foolish rolling down the steps to the foot of the altar. :o)

The priests who accompanied us on the tour celebrated Mass there. It was so beautiful. As we were receiving communion, a group of German tourists arrived, and waited on the upper level for us to finish Mass, chiming in with some of the responses.

Jason and I were in no hurry to leave, and even though we had been in the first group to go up the mountain, we were with the last group going down, along with two of our priests and two Israeli guides. I had been wondering how our guide could know so much about Jesus and his life and not be Catholic. Both of the guides laughingly said that it was because of their Jewish mothers. That to become Christian would break their mothers' hearts. Perhaps someday they will convert, though. †