Sun over Sinai: Personal Experiences

The ascent to Mount Sinai usually happens at night, so one can see the sunrise from the summit of the Mountain. The Mountain itself and the surroundings are rocky and completely devoid of forest or grass, however with individual rocks and boulders of whimsical shapes and the sky abundantly sown with stars and all sorts of mist at night, they inspire a strong sense of admiration, amazement, reverence, solemnity and awe before the power and might of The One Who created it all … And at the dawn, when the sun is just beginning to rise, the colors around are constantly changing  -  of the mountains, of the sky, and of the horizon with the sea that one can barely see. …

Now we greet the rising sun (by this time, at the summit, there are usually many people from different countries and all ends of the world) and then descend to Saint Catherine’s Monastery. 

Some take the gradual, long path, others – the steep, monastic one …

From the Blog of Fr. Philipp P.  (pretre_philippe)

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Mt. Sinai - Poem by Xiangu HHE

The donkeys carrying us and the moon 
Halas Halas 
All the way with the stars
To the tiny top of Mount Sinai
And the sun was shy

From Ras Mohamed
Your calling not afar
St Catherine was pink at her best
Though The Bush is 
Waiting down the road 
Is It still burning 
Or the Lord forgot to permit the holy look

Yenla Yenla 
Disappear the Bedouin and their snores
Yenla Yenla
I talked to Moses 
I hugged the monks
I hold my tears laughing at the clowns
Why all the died only 
Have their heads Piled up to shock 
All the sinner's eyes
Let's bury the minds 
With their hearts
And All the royal centuries shall be back

Just call for some Roman wind
Lying flat at the top of the holy mount 
I bared my body that fresh
All the souls 
Rising with that lazy sun
I can see the shadow of the Cow 
So proud
Without lunch still 
Preaching the crowd 

At the end 
It is not a joke, 
I certainly have my doubts 
But no worry My donkey boy
I shall carry down my own bag 

Xiangu HHE