After many weeks of silence ¨Inside the Walls¨ without a post, Rome lives on as a fond memory with many blessings received and many fine people who have shaped my character. Now, however, two weeks and 233 miles into the Camino of Santiago, I offer a small reflection on The Way, an ancient pilgrimage path to the tomb of St. James in Santiago, Spain.
Walking between 20 and 30 kilometers each day, I have met people from all over the world walking the Way for a variety of reasons. In many ways, it has been refreshing to have all of my posessions on my back, with no worries except where to sleep in the evening. In a sense, it has been two weeks of voluntary homelessness. This chosen poverty makes everyone open with their fellow pilgrims because, except for a few clothes and water bottles in the backpack, you have nothing to give the other except yourself and a testament of your own life. Without wasting any time discussing niceties or the weather, people get right to business: ¨Why are you on the Camino?¨ What follows is anything but ordinary. Some deep conversations have been had over juice boxes and plastic-wrapped croissants.
Patience has also been a forced lesson in the Camino. You have the destination of Santiago 790km ahead of you, but you can only cover 30 kilometers in a day, so needless to day the journey becomes more important than the destination. One take-away has been that good things are worth the time and the struggle to achieve them, even if the daily effort only seems to chip away at the rock with the appearance of no statue taking form.
The forced slowing down has also taught me to slow down and see the beauty in the present, whether it is the person across the table from me or the vast fields of wheat that roll off into the horizon. The Spanish cafe culture has helped in that regard, too!
In a most striking way, and in a way that cannot be replicated in one´s ordinary life, the Camino is a school in trust in Divine Providence. You are vulnerable when you are by yourself with nothing but a backpack on your back, yet you see in your weakness how the Lord provides for your needs, though it often comes in ways you least expect. On one pariticular occasion, my friend and I found ourselves in the pouring rain, weak and blistered from the 20 kilometers covered that day, with no room to stay in the pilgrim hostel. The church was locked, so we slipped into a tiny bar to warm up. When we had mustered up the courage to bite the bullet and trek on another 11 kilometers, we stepped outside to find that the rain had stopped. The rest of the walk passed through beautiful countryide overlooking vineyard upon vineyard, framed by majestic mountains in the backgroud. It was just the consolation we needed after a menacing thunderstorm had sunken our spirits. Upon entering our destination town, we slipped in a local church, where sisters were praying vespers, and a local elderly woman greeted us with charity; though we understood little of what she said, we received much love from her. When we arrived at the hostel, out of 92 beds, there were two beds left, just for us! We had Someone watching over us that day.
Sometimes it takes going halfway across the world to discover God in the ordinary life.
Please continue your prayers for my companion, John, and me, that we may persevere in the daily struggle. Be assured of our prayers for you, too!
