Camino Photo of the Day: the Way of the Cross
After Foncebadón we come to Cruz de Ferro – the Iron Cross – the highest elevation on the Spanish portion of the Camino Francés. This is a place of importance for those pilgrims walking this route. It’s easy to explain, but the experience of it is something else again.
At Cruz de Ferro there is an old tradition. Although I’ve heard several stories about how it got started in the Medieval era, I don’t know that any of them are true. You will notice that surrounding the cross is a large pile of stones. Pilgrims have been bringing a stone from their home and laying it at Cruz de Ferro for centuries. I am no different.
For some, the stone is a habit or sin to be discarded. For some, a memory or worry or fear to let go of.
Why here? Once you’ve carried a pack for several weeks or a month on the Camino, you come to realize that you can only carry so much, and you go farther and faster the less you carry.
Some days you forget to put down that stone you’re carrying, the one that’s weighing you down. When asked why angels could fly, G.K. Chesterton replied, “because they take themselves so lightly.” Perhaps for us to fly, we need to put down those stones we carry, the ones we keep collecting.
This is, I think, a good place to leave our series for now. On Friday, Francine and I will fly to Spain to begin our next Camino adventure. I’ll be sure to write about it here as I am able. The Camino Photo of the Day series will resume in June.
Date: 22 April 2013
Place: between Foncebadón and Manjarín (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)
Today started: Rabanal del Camino (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)
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