Journey Back to Eden.pdf - St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Chicago

190 JUNEmonks here, I decided to drive the jeep myself to a site which I hadbeen told was not too many miles away. There are copper mineshere, supposedly once utilized by the Pharaohs of Egypt thousandsof years ago. In these copper mines, I am told, have been foundsigns of the ancient Egyptian religion, signs of the devotion of theminers or their taskmasters. These include, among other things,small calf or cow-like statues reminiscent of the story of the sacredcow fashioned by the Hebrews at the base of Mount Sinai, this verymountain at which I am now staying. So I drove in the direction ofthe mines, having been given good directions, only to discover thatthe jeep was not in perfect working order. After some problems innegotiating the difficult terrain, the engine died.I was in a rather precarious situation, reminiscent of the moviesin which you see a poor soul dragging himself across the desertsand under the hot Sahara sun, desperate for water. Well, I wasn’tquite so desperate, but, in my imagination, I was playing out everysuch movie scene I had ever seen.I walked quite a distance looking for some help or a restingplace in the shade when, finally, I noticed a goat. I realized thatthere are no wild goats in this desert and that it must belong to anencampment of some kind. So, without disturbing it, I followed theanimal from a distance until it led me to the tents of its owner in anencampment of Bedouins of the tribe of Muzeina. I noted that thetents were made of black goat hair, constructed on palm tree poles.Bedouins normally live near mountain sides where bir (springs) canbe found, or travel to uaha (oases) for water to make their bread.I presented myself at the first tent, where the father of thedwelling, burly and larger than life, lavishly welcomed me in thecustom so typical of the Arab world. He sat me down on pillowsand, with the precious water of his house, washed my feet and myhands and gave me to drink. His children went out to gather a varietyof delicacies from the neighboring tents, and his wife prepared agracious meal for me. No doubt about it, I was an item of interest!Part of the reason for this hospitality is that people who live inthe desert seldom find strangers to entertain, so, when they do, it isan occasion for them to be able to receive someone generously,even excessively. It is also a mark of nobility in their society to beextravagant with their guests. And finally, it’s a kind of safety netfor them. They try to make the desert a place of hospitality ratherthan one of fear, for it might happen that any of them, at various