Walking the Camino de Santiago
Thoughts about the spiritual aspects of the Camino.
May the second looms large in my life. On this day in 2013, Francine and I walked into Santiago de Compostela for the first time, at the end of our first Camino. At this point, Francine had been walking for almost two weeks, and me for more than a month. I can’t describe the joy of that day. Arrival in […]
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This painting may be found in the little church of San Paio. I suspect that it’s a vision of purgatory, probably with some local persons depicted. The idea of these images is often to provide a stark reminder to pray for our beloved dead. What a far cry this is from modern days, where people are often lauded as saints […]
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This day had been a long day – about 27 kilometers, give or take, from Portomarín to San Xulián – and we were exhausted. Fortunately, the albergue was great, and the company was fantastic. I noted in my journal that it was the best food we’d eaten in Spain. April 29 is the Feast of the Holy Abbots of Cluny, […]
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Ventas de Narón is a tiny village, more of a shady resting spot for pilgrims than anything else. There’s a tiny chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene here, and you are not allowed to take photos inside. So here’s a photo of the sign outside. Inside the church, a blind man stamps your pilgrim passport twice – once for the church […]
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It’s one month since we arrived in Santiago de Compostela as pilgrims for the third time. Every pilgrimage is different. You’re a different person with different concerns and worries and joys each time. And the Lord gives you different graces and consolations each time. It normally takes me a month or longer to process our Caminos. Re-entry is difficult. This […]
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Give me my scallop shell of quiet, My staff of faith to walk upon, My scrip of joy, immortal diet, My bottle of salvation, My gown of glory, hope’s true gage, And thus I’ll take my pilgrimage. (from “The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage”, attributed to Sir Walter Raleigh)
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The day dragged on. By the time we reached our planned second breakfast village, Mercadoiro, it was past lunchtime. So we ate lunch and revised the plan for the day, targeting the town of Portomarín as our stopping place, rather than Gonzar 7.5 km beyond. This photo is the interior window of the restroom of the bar in Mercadoiro. The […]
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Prior to each of our previous Camino pilgrimages, I’ve tried to articulate why it is that we walk. Everybody’s answer is, of course, different. It has ever been thus. Before my first Camino, I had this sense that God was calling me to it, and maybe that was enough of a reason. Maybe it was partly the sense of adventure […]
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Who wins in the battle between human construction and nature? Between dressed stones and trees patient beyond understanding? Ultimately, the things of man cannot endure. Whether that lifespan is measured in decades or centuries, it will eventually be overcome, possibly by the tiniest of seeds. Date: 26 April 2016 Place: between Filloval and As Pasantes (Galicia, Spain) Today’s Map:
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