The Camino is a metaphor and a microcosm of life. And, like life itself, there are many facets to the journey. This reflection will focus on the paradoxical freedom flowing from living in a committed community.
Everyone walking to Santiago is on two Caminos, the common camino of our daily journey bringing us closer to Santiago, and our personal or individual camino. We were drawn to the Camino for different reasons and the Camino speaks to each of us in unique ways. My camino accentuates these two caminos having journeyed as a solo pilgrim for nearly three weeks, accompanied by those who have walked before me over the last 1000 years, those walking with me now, and those providing hospitality to tired, sore, and hungry pilgrims. For the past two weeks, I have journeyed in the company of two good friend Mark and Bill, who I have know for 30 and 23 years respectively.
Both Caminos have been tremendous experiences, stepping away from everyday life and slowing down to the speed of three to five kilometers an hour from the normal 120 kilometers an hour I normally travel. THis has allowed me to see and smell (lots of farm smells) and notice more details of life than usual.
One of the gifts of going solo for three weeks was sensing the importance of the incarnation in my life - the need, like Tom Hanks in Castaway, to connect with others, especially the OTHER, and the Other through other human beings. I experienced this with the group I walked with the first day and a half (and reconnected with two of these folks around Leon). I also experienced this with my evening dinner companions (a changing group of around 10) over the next week or so. I also experienced it in its absence on two occasions when I chose to eat alone in the evening. But, I lacked real intimacy and deeper community with these very good people. I didn´t consult them on my comings and goings. If the camino brought us together so be it, and if it didn´t, so be it. I woke up when I wanted, left when I wanted, stopped where I wanted, and slept where I wanted. If I had fallen off the face of the earth, some of these folks would have noticed, but they would have assumed that I was a few K ahead or behind.
Mark, Bill, and I each have our own Caminos in addition to our common Camino. We walk many days in silent reflection+. Mark took a different path one day, Bill has walked by himself two days, we will each walk by ourselves tommorrow, and Bill is spending the night 3K ahead of us tonight. But, there is deeo joy - I don´t think I can adequately put it into words - walking with close friends, even when we are silent or apart. For the most part we share our meals together, sometimes with other pilgrims and sometimes just the three of us. And, on Saturday, we will celebrate as we walk into Santiago togehter after a short 20K. On Sunday, we will celebrate together at the Pilgrim´s Mass at the Cathedral as our nationalities, starting dates, and starting places are recognized at mass. Our families are intertwined with godparent relationships, baptisms, weddings, deaths, many camping trips, summer beach trips, a guys weekend (BARF) at Bill´s house in the Texas hill country and a women´s weekend at the same house. We know each other´s quirks, strengthes, and weaknesses. We have commited to being responsible to each other and we consult each other before deciding how to proceed on our own caminos. In some mysterious or paradoxical way, in the act of seemingly limiting our freedom by agreeing to this joint venture, we have gained a great deal more freedom - and joy. Those five days of moisture would have been a killer for me but for sharing the experience with these great friends.
We are made as individual persons for community, and I am thankful that in my life´s journey, I have been blessed with a great wife, family, and friends to share the walk with. And, I am thankful that the Camino has provided an opportunity for reflection.
UPDATE on THE CULTURE - I commented earlier that I had seen very few single family dwelling and almost no farmhouses outside of villages in Spain. Galacia seems to be different. There are many more single family houses and farmhouses dotting the countryside.
UPDATE on the PACking List - In addition to what I mentioned in my last post, I also packed a journal, a pen, John Brierly´s guide to the CAmino (it was the easiest to read for me despite the fact that he sometimes annoys me), the Magnificat in English so I could read the reading and do morning prayer (Mark, Bill, and I often find a nice park or a bench in a village and say morning prayer together), and the Magnicat in Spanish so I can follow the order of the Mass in Spanish and say the responses. I intentionally did not bring a watch. The only times I need one are to make sure I get to mass on time and to make sure I get to the albergue before it closes for the night. And, so I just ask someone else.
We are two days and 42.8K from Santiago.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Since the clouds lifted and the rain ended around 10 am on Sunday as we descended from O´Cebrerio with its partially 9th Century Church (the oldest extant church associated with the Camino), we have had two glorious days of walking. The views on Sunday as we walked were stunning as we could see green pastures and woods all around us for miles. On Monday, we were a bit lower walking through high hills or small mountains, along chestnut tree lined paths with moss covered stone hedges, along mountain rivers and through little villages. The roofs here are slate, which is in abundance and not the red tile associated with much of Spain. Sunday as we awoke to fog and moderate rain, I could tell spirits were starting to sag among the 100 or so pilgrims in the albergue. We had been walking for the better part of five days with overcast skies and some form of moisture - at least mist. Our clothes were wet and dirty. So the sun came just in time.
On Sunday we did have our first encounter with mean unleashed dogs. Mark and I were walking along a path maybe 15 feet off the road and 6 feet above it when we heard dogs barking (not unusual) and then we heard a woman screaming at the dogs. She was on the road with her two trekking poles up fending off two big dogs and doing a great job of it. Mark helped out by picking up a big rock and throwing it in the direction of the dogs (missing the woman) and scaring them off.
A reader asked me to provide some details of the practical path - what I packed, when I walk, etc. The basic packing list (all clothes are quick dry) includes: two pair of underwear, two pair of pants (one with zip off legs), two shirts, three pair of socks, boots, sandals or flip flops for evening and shower, toilet paper just in case, a towel, soap, sleeping bag, pillow case, flashlight, clothes pins, first aid kit, safety pins, plastic bags to put the above in, and water bottle. Because of the time of year I walking, I also have couple of heavier layers of clothing, a wind-rain jacket, and water proof pants. I also brought a camera and I have a European cell phone but keep it off most of the time except calling home or communicating with Mark and Bill (one day Mark took a different route than Bill and I and called to tell us where he was waiting for us). I think that is the complete list.
At this time of year, pilgrims can walk throughout the day, often arriving at their day´s destination after 5pm During the summer, my sense is that pilgrim´s walk early arriving by noon or early afternoon to avoid the heat and to assure themselves a place to stay because the route is more crowded. Pilgrims first started coming to Santiago in the 9th century and during the middle ages it was one of the three main pilgrim destinations (Rome and Jerusalem being the others) with millions making the way. The Camino has gained modern popularity in the last 20 years or so with 100,000 (I think) finishing the route last year. When St. James´feast day is on Sunday as it will be in 2010, the number of pilgrim´s increase by at least 50 percent. Some are predicting 200,000 pilgrims next year.
My next post will focus on my two caminos - alone and with my compadres Mark and Bill. Saturday, I offered my walk for all those suffering from chronic or debiltating diseases, Sunday for an end to abortion and the healing of all those implicated in the taking of innocent preborn life, and yesterday for an end to the death penalty.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Today I shed a month´s worth of photo´s that must have been burdening me although they didn´t seem to weigh that much. I had a great photo that I wanted to be able to blow up to a larger size and was trying to change (so I thought) the setting to a higher quality photo. In an instant and by accident 1000 photos were gone. My friend Bill reminded me of the prayer of St. Nicholas of Flue (we had learned this prayer at night prayer a couple of nights back):
My Lord and my God,
take everything from me, that keeps me from Thee.
My Lord and my God,
give everything to me that brings me nearer to Thee.
My Lord and my God,
take me away from myself
and give me completely to Thee. Amen.
We have had two days of mist but not real rain with great views as we have climbed back into the mountains. O´Cebreiro is clouded in so we can´t see the magnificent views from here (although my family assures me they are magnificnet). I feel like I´m in Ireland. The land is a luscious green - more lush than anything I have seen so far. As we walked closer to Galacia, the Celtic music was very evident coming from the bars. And now - in Galacia - I am in a bar writing this with the table next to me singing and enjoying the wet evening.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Yesterday morning we left our Albergue in Foncebadon (resident population 2) about 8:30 am in near total darkness with fog and mist. About a kilometer later we were facing driving sleet and rain. After a slight and unintended detour on a logging road we made it to La Cruz de Ferro where we laid our burdens down. La Cruz de Ferro is the highest point on the Camino Frances in Spain. Marking the spot is an iron cross and stones brought by pilgrims from around the world. We added our stones in gratitude as a symbolic gesture to the One who relieves our burdens. A few kilometers later, we arrived in Manjarin, a small mountain village whose only resident is Tomas who calls himself the Last Templar. His Albergue certainly provided protection for these cold pilgrims as we warmed ourselves by the fire and drank hot coffee by candlelight. After a half and hour or so we were on our way without the sleet.
For the past three days we have had rain for much of each day, but our spirits are good and our rain gear is doing its job. We have developed a good pattern of alternating periods of conversations and silence with one of us often hanging back for our own quiet time. The evening in Manzarife, now several days past was accentuated by a communal meal centered around potatos given to us by a local farmer (and of course, wine, which is incredibly inexpensive here). 10 of us cooked, ate, and cleaned with our German friend playing his guitar in the kitchen while others cooked. In Astorga, Mark, Bill, and I ate tapas after evening mass, and the past two nights we have eaten the traditional pilgrim menu with pilgrims from Spain, Slovakia, Germany, and Austria. Two nights ago after dinner, Bill (a doctor) was busy tending to another pilgrim´s feet. Today, we hope to make it to Pereje - hopefully without rain.
The past few days have provided wonderful scenery from the last of the mesata to beautiful mountain views as the clouds broke for parts of the day. We have walked through crumbling mountain villages and larger cities with beautiful churches, Roman ruins, and a Templar Castle.
Please continue to keep us in pray. We hope to arrive in Santiago in 9 days. My walk was offered for an unknown intention on Tuesday, for a special person and all others undergoing chemo or radiation on Wednesday, and all those suffering in the cold without heat. Today, I walk for the development of Catholic Legal Theory (also catholic to include other religious groups) project.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Our relaxing day in Leon ended with night pray with the Benedictine Sisters who were hosting us in their albergue. Around 9:30 one nun came over to the albergue to invite us to pray. She even told a group of young pilgrims sitting in the courtyard singing Beatles songs that it was time for pray. And, they followed. We were given compline books in our own language with the Spanish translation on the opposite page and instructed that the singing and chanting would go back and forth with the nuns doing part and then the pilgrims doing part. It was very beautiful.
After a good night sleep (for me at least) it was back on the trail - spending an hour or so winding through Leon until we were back in the countryside. Walking with good friends was a delight and the whole day (a fairly short to medium 24Km went very fast. As we were sitting on the road side eating our lunch, the young German who had been playing guitar the night before walked past us playing his guitar and singing Dylan. We wrongly assumed that he spoke English because his Dylan English was so good.
FYI, I offered one of the walking days last week for the Cause of Stanley Rother and priest from the OKC archdiocese who was martyred in Central America in 1981. I offered today for all those suffering financial worries, especially in this time of crisis.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Today is my one big day of sacrifice on the Camino. U2 is in Norman and my friend Teresa is using my ticket to go with my wife and two of my children. On the other hand it has been a great day in Leon with my friends Bill and Mark who have joined me from Austin for the last two weeks of the Camino. We also met a young man from Alabama who is also starting his Camino in Leon after spending two years in Niger with the Peace Corps. Have a great Sunday
Friday, October 16, 2009
I have had the pleasure of meeting many colorful characters so far on the Camino, and it is time to name the most colorful of the first half of the walk. My friend, Peter K. hopes it will be a German. But, before the listing the nominees, a short update. I am in Mansilla, 18.6 km from Leon. The past three nights and mornings have been cold - I´d guess upper 30´s to mid 40´s before warming up nicely during the day. Last night I stayed in a small farm town along a Roman road. Our Albergue, the only one in town had 16 beds, and I think we were full. One of the other pilgrims made a nice fire in the Albergues´s fireplace. Another pilgrim, a French priest, said mass at the local church. I felt like a little kid as I rang the church bell to let the town folks know that mass would be offered. About 5% of the town´s and half the pilgrims attended.
The runner´s up for most colorful pilgrim first half are; 1. The young redheaded American who cooks outside in the courtyard on a packpackers stove even when the Albergue has a kitchen. 2. The Spaniard who always has a posse with him although he started the Camino alone. I wrote about him hosting a dinner party in an earlier post. 3. The Basque, with the kind but strong face, who led the singing at the dinner party. 4. The Aussie who thinks he is on walkabout. 5. The cynical young ex pat who hates the US for all its lies. I don´t even think he likes our new prince of peace. He also doesn´t like the Albergues because there are too many people in them.
The winner is a Cuban who has lived in Madrid for the past 20 years. Some think he is a flirt. I think he has a zest for life. He will run (yes, run with pack on) to a group of tired pilgrims and sing to them to lift their spirits. I have seen him writing notes in the dirt for others to read. At breakfast, he greets everyone in the room. And, what put him over the top as the most colorful were his antics from three or four days ago. I was sitting on a sidewalk with a Frenchmen (who was sharing his lunch with me). We were the only two on the street. I looked up and there was the Cuban acting the part of drum major marching down the street with his walking stick held high with two band members marching in formation (can two march in formation?) behind him.
Sorry Peter, no Germans in the finals. I have met many great Germans. Some have been crazy enough to start the Camino at their own houses, walking from Augsburg (as reported earlier) and Munich. Most of the Germans have read the comedians book on the Camino but none so far has admitted that he influenced their decision to walk. Among the Germans, there is a good mix of Catholics from the south and Lutherans from the north. Great folks, but not among the six most colorful characters.
Tomorrow I make it to Leon where I will rest Sunday. On Monday, I head out again, joined by two friends from Austin, Bill and Mark.
