Courtesy of Fr. Mark @ Vultus Christe...


The Patrimony of a Pilgrim Pope

The significance of Saint Catherine's reappearance in the pages of the Roman Missal cannot be understood apart from the historical pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II to the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai in Egypt on February 26, 2000. Today's feast of the Virgin Martyr of Alexandria recalls the commitment of the Church of Rome to the arduous work of unity with the Churches of the East through prayer and humble dialogue. In the Collect of the 2002 edition of the Missale Romanum we ask that, through the intercession of Saint Catherine, "we may be strengthened in faith and constancy, and spend ourselves unsparingly in working for the unity of the Church."

The homily that Pope John Paul II preached at the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai is, in its own way, a prophetic word to the churches:

Here He Revealed His Name

Our faith leads us to become pilgrims in the footsteps of God. We contemplate the path He has taken through time, revealing to the world the magnificent mystery of His faithful Love for all humankind. Today, with great joy and deep emotion, the Bishop of Rome is a pilgrim to Mount Sinai, drawn by this holy mountain which rises like a soaring monument to what God revealed here. Here He revealed his name! Here he gave his Law, the Ten Commandments of the Covenant!

Holy Ground

How many have come to this place before us! Here the People of God pitched their tents (cf. Ex 19:2); here the prophet Elijah took refuge in a cave (cf. 1 Kgs 19:9); here the body of the martyr Catherine found a final resting- place; here a host of pilgrims through the ages have scaled what Saint Gregory of Nyssa called "the mountain of desire" (The Life of Moses, II, 232); here generations of monks have watched and prayed. We humbly follow in their footsteps, to "the holy ground" where the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob commissioned Moses to set his people free (cf. Ex 3:5-8).
Adore Him

God shows Himself in mysterious ways - as the fire that does not consume - according to a logic which defies all that we know and expect. He is the God who is at once close at hand and far-away; He is in the world but not of it. He is the God who comes to meet us, but who will not be possessed. He is "I AM WHO I AM" - the name which is no name! I AM WHO I AM: the divine abyss in which essence and existence are one! The God who is Being itself! Before such a mystery, how can we fail to "take off our shoes" as He commands, and adore Him on this holy ground?
Listening to the Word

Pope John Paul II went on to acknowledge the age-old monastic presence on Sinai:

The monks of this Monastery pitched their tent in the shadow of Sinai. The Monastery of the Transfiguration and Saint Catherine bears all the marks of time and human turmoil, but it stands indomitable as a witness to divine wisdom and love. For centuries monks from all Christian traditions lived and prayed together in this Monastery, listening to the Word in whom dwells the fullness of the Father's wisdom and love. In this very Monastery, Saint John Climacus, wrote The Ladder of Divine Ascent, a spiritual masterpiece that continues to inspire monks and nuns, from East and West, generation after generation.
The Things That Unite Us in Christ

The Pope concluded by praying that,

. . . in the new millennium the Monastery of Saint Catherine will be a radiant beacon calling the Churches to know one another better and to rediscover the importance in the eyes of God of the things that unite us in Christ.

james

Dear Jakub,

Niech Bedzie Pochwalony Jezus Christus!

Thank you for this beautiful post.

The Monastery of Mt Sinai is, as you know, an autocephalous Orthodox Church. There is a beautiful icon of "All Saints of Mt Sinai" that depicts the holy mountain with the various Old and New Testaments Saints who experienced God's Presence and miracle-working Power there.

May All Saints of Mt Sinai intercede for us!

Alex

Dr Roman,

I believe you are in error with the above statement. The Church of Sinai does not appear on any of the lists of 14/15 autocephalous Orthodox Churches. It is an autonomous church that relies on the patriarchate of Jerusalem to consecrate its archbishop and to supply it with chrism.

Dear Secret Squirrel,

I apologise - you are right.

Alex

Alex, my pc background is Sinai & the Monastery...there are a few Icons from there that I cherish

Excellent avatar Secret Squirrel...

I dont think the monks agree with the above comments.

"The Holy Monastery of Sinai along with all of the South Sinai area which is connected with the Archdiocese of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho, in its operation is regulated by the holy canons of the Ecumenical Councils and spiritually it ranks among the complex of Orthodox Churches. According to various decisions taken in different occasions by the local synods and the Orthodox Patriarchs with regard to the Holy Monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai, it is characterized by the unique privilege in Orthodox Christianity of being governed administratively by its abbot who is the same person as the Archbishop of Sinai and of being “unsubdued, immune, untrampled by anyone, and totally free from all and everyone. Furthermore, it is Autocephalous,” as it is not subject to any Patriarch or Synod. His Eminence the Archbishop of Sinai enjoys a broader spiritual relationship with the Patriarch of Jerusalem as it is by the latter that the former is consecrated, and whenever the archbishop celebrates within his episcopal jurisdiction he commemorates the name of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. The general operation of the Sinaitic brotherhood is regulated by “The Basic Canons,” and it is democratically governed by its Abbot and Archbishop of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho, the Holy Council of the Fathers, as well as by the assembly of the entire brotherhood which is convened from time to time."
http://www.sinaimonastery.com/en/index.php?lid=8

Pavel,

Thanks for the link, I've been over there since you posted it...

james