"Lord, it is good for us to be here"

Last weekend members of Jaffa’s Hebrew speaking Catholic community together with their priest, Father Apolinary, visited Mount Tabor. I would like to share with you my impressions from this visit.

The weekend was dedicated to prayer, however I was grasped by something else which I hope is of significance and importance too. I have especially warm feelings for the old Latin heritage of the Church, the Latin quotes and phrases touch me deeply and each time I thank my university teacher of Latin. It was due to her efforts to introduce us, students, to the love for the language which had helped make the Church universally understood for centuries.

This time the phrase in question is "Domine, bonum est nos hic esse". You can see it on the dome of the basilica on Mount Tabor. It means "Lord, it is good for us to be here". These words were said by Peter on Mount Tabor after he and two other disciples witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ.

For me, this time, this "good to be here" started as soon as we arrived. The way was quite long, the serpentine road was rather curvy and the children were too noisy. So the first "good" was to arrive in peace.

Then many other "goods" came all together: good to meet each other, good to be welcomed by the members of community of the monastery. They opened the gates and let us in with our cars, they provided the rooms with all the things necessary for our stay. They offered us a very delicious meal and served it in such an elegant manner, that you can hardly find even in many expensive restaurants. They really tried hard to make us feel good to be there. The place even has free wifi access for the guests to stay connected and to share their impressions immediately.

The food, the welcome, the accommodation, the panoramic views, the fresh air, everything seemed to be intended to make us feel good. And the only questions is why? What is the purpose of all these efforts invested both by men and nature?

I do not claim to know the answer, I just want to say that for me it was a good time and place to escape from our everyday busy pace and think about God and what He wants me to see and hear. Yes, it's really a good place where one can spend some time trying to listen to God, thanks to all those who work hard to make it such a place.