Christ is Risen!
“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.” (John 4:10)
Elder Pavlos watering the Burning Bush that still grows in the Monastery
… Asked what it is like to experience the Divine Liturgy as celebrant, Sinai’s Father Pavlos (Blessed memory, +March 1, 2020) says, "An indescribable atmosphere is created inside the church during the Liturgy.” Betraying his affinity with the expressive style of Saint John of Sinai, Father Pavlos calls the Holy Eucharist “the Festival of festivals, celebrated on earth but taking place in heaven, the resurrection a person experiences before the general resurrection." Whether in a small chapel or magnificent cathedral, he says the Divine Liturgy is equally transcendent, "beyond words anyone can say.”
Asked to explain further, he adds: “… you speak there with God ... made worthy of the inestimable honor of speaking with God – is that a small thing? To be accorded the honor of conversing with God?"…
Garden greenhouse
At the same time, speaking about the water, which is precious in the Sinai desert environment, with the drilling of new wells supported by a generous donor through FMSM, the Monastery garden has recently expanded, due to an unprecedented abundance of water for irrigation. Even the soil for the garden had to be transported from afar by monks in ancient times.
The recent closure of the Monastery to visitors due to the global health crisis, while precipitating economic difficulties there as in other parts of the world, has allowed the monks the freedom to pursue traditional monastic projects such as gardening, typically prevented by the pressures of assisting pilgrimage and tourism from many parts of the world.
As Fr Michael, a Monastery priest-monk, is from Crete, which has become a major center of green-house horticulture, he is highly skilled in the science, which he has introduced to St. Catherine’s historic garden. He is also very involved in olive oil production at the Monastery, as the monks light the candles in the monastery’s many chapels during services only with pure olive oil, which is very expensive in Egypt. Sinai olives gardens are harvested with timeless techniques, as throughout the Mediterranean.
Olives on their way to the press
Distinctive honey, certified as unusually high quality, is also produced from the Monastery’s beehives under his supervision. And also, no monastic will enjoy photos of the gardens apple trees without reminiscing about longtime Monastery gardener Father Pavlos’ joy over their exceptional fruit….
In the midst of this Feast, O Savior, give Thou my thirsty soul to drink of the waters of true worship; for Thou didst call out to all, saying: Whosoever is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
Wherefore, O Christ our God, Fountain of life, glory to Thee.
(Apolytikion of the Feast)
Below, please, enjoy recent pictures from the Monastery garden that provides sustenance for both monks and Bedouins and nourishment for the soul ...
