MOUNTAIN
Mountains have prominence as a meeting place for believers with God in religions like Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. They consider mountain peaks close to heaven from the earth.
The belief was that God was high up in Heaven and men could go to mountain tops to interact with God just as Moses did on Mount Sinai (Ex 19:1- 34:30). Jesus also used to go to up mountains for solitary prayer (apart from praying with the people at the Temple of Jerusalem and local synagogues (Mt 14:23, Mk 6:46, Lk 6:12, Jn 6:15). According. Besides preaching in the synagogues, houses, lakeshores, and from boats, Jesus preached also on mountain tops (Mt 5:1). The mountain was also a place of divine revelation (Ex 24:12).
Some of the most momentous events of the Bible are said to have taken place atop mountains as listed below:
(1) Garden of Eden, where a river flowed down as four branches of rivers (Gen 2:10-14).
(2) Mount Ararat, where the ark of Noah landed after the deluge (Gen 8:4) and where God made a covenant with Noah.
(3) Mount Moriah (Gerizim) where God had asked Abraham to sacrifice his son (Gen 22:2).
(4) Mount Sinai, where Moses met God and received the Ten Commandments.
(5) Mount Nebo (Pisgah) where Moses saw the Promised Land (Deut 34:1-4).
(6) Mount Carmel, where Prophet Elijah proved God as genuine against Baal by calling down fire from heaven to ignite fire on water-soaked sacrifice (1 Kgs 18).
(7) Mount Zion (Jerusalem) where Solomon built the Temple.
(8) Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
(9) Mount Hermon, at the foot of which is Caesarea Philippi where Jesus revealed his future, Peter confessed his faith, and Jesus assigned to him the headship of the Church (Mt 16:13- 23).
(10) Mount Tabor, where the Transfiguration of Jesus took place. Moses and Elijah appeared there with him, and God’s voice from the cloud confirmed the divine sonship of Jesus.
(11) Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed before his arrest. He ascended to heaven from this mountain.
(12) Golgotha (Calvary) was a skull-shaped hill in Jerusalem where the enemies crucified Jesus. His followers buried him near here, from where he rose.
REFLECTION
Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” (Jn 4:21). But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23-24). Let us meet God in the Holy Sacrifice that Jesus offers with us to the Heavenly Father.