Sunrise on Mount Sinai

Our trip thus far has given us a growing awareness of the ways particular faith traditions are embedded in histories, cultures, and architectural and geographical spaces. That awareness was deepened today when our group set out to climb Mount Sinai, the place where Moses received multiple revelations from God. Pilgrims have climbed this mountain since the 4th century, when St. Julian of Saba described himself “making trod the untrod” desert.

For many in our group, today also led to an understanding that a pilgrimage can be difficult. We started our climb at 1 a.m., hoping to reach the mountain’s summit by sunrise. Some of us walked; some of us rode camels part of the way. But what all of us did was support each other on our often arduous trek. It seems fitting that we will have celebrated three birthdays of group members on this trip. Birthdays are individual milestones, and our hike today marked a milestone that I think many of us will remember as we consider our own journeys—whether today’s climb was frustrating, exhilarating, or even painful.

Yesterday, as we drove through the desert landscape of the Sinai Peninsula, Safwat asked us to think about the idea of pilgrimage and to consider what we each might contribute. Today was a day of challenges, but also a day of receiving the generous support of others as we continue our individual journeys.

–Margaret Mackinnon,
1st year M.Div.