November 23, 2011 St. Columban
This day God sends me strength as my steersman,
Might to uphold me, wisdom as guide,
Your eyes are watchful, your ears are listening,
Your lips are speaking, friend at my side.
God's way is my way, God's shield is round me
God's host defends me, saving from ill.
Angels of heaven drive from me always
All that would harm me. Stand by me still"
We sang this hymn as students in the '70's to the air of 'Morning Has Broken'. It's another expression of St. Patrick's Breastplate which is appropriate for the feast of St. Columban who was one of the great Irish missionary monks.
It's 7.30 a.m. and I'm alone in the living/dining area of the albergue in Foncebadon. It's old world with a large stone fireplace, long wooden tables, stone floor and a shop. It could be my Granny's house in Raford or a place in Aran.
The hospitalero has just come in and is cleaning out the fireplace. My foot is sore but I'm content. Lots of little red itchy bites on my body which are, I think, the work of bed bugs! Never experienced them before coming on the Camino and they are different from the fleas we used to have long ago!
I think of Mark, Becky & Brend and pray for them. We are in different places but I still hold the hope of arriving with them in Santiago. Yet I can't cling to such a hope.
"God goes with us, guards us today with...protective love" (from Magnificat Morning Prayer)
The following text has been recurring in my mind and heart over the course of the Camino and it is given again today for Morning Prayer: "whether you turn to right or left, your ears will hear these words behind you, 'This is the way, follow it!'" (Isaiah 30:21)
And "He who is your teacher will hide no longer and you will see your teacher with your own eyes" (Isaiah 30)
Plus this line from a psalm which expresses something of me "I am like a growing olive tree in the House of God!"
Molinaseca 4.30 p.m.
Today I intended going as far as Ponferrada where the Pallottines are but my foot forced me to give up here in Molinaseca.
It has been as absolutely stunning day. The breakfast in Foncebadon was the best yet of the Camino and when I left the albergue the tip of a red rising sun was emerging on a clear horizon. There was frost on the ground.
I did not realize setting out that today I would arrive at the Cruz de Fero and the highest point of the Camino at about 5,000 feet. On the mound of thousands of pilgrims I put down a white stone and pinned my brown scapular to the cross - the scapular that belonged to my mother. We lay down our lives at the foot of the cross. Everyone does it.
It's very interesting to see along the way how people are drawn to the cross - the ones that are part of the route and those made by pilgrim hands in bits of wood and stone. Is there something of the cross in each of us that reaches out to the cross of Christ? An instinctive connection? There is such sincerity in each person who walks this way, such tremendous desire in all of us!
I sat a while in the amazing landscape, in sunlight looking down on the clouds across to the higher mountains that reach above the clouds.
Daniela came on me and offered to take my photo. "You look so happy" she said "it would be a pity not to take a photo!"
"Thus speaks the Most High...'I live in a high and holy place but I am also with the contrite and humbled spirit...'" (Isaiah 57:15). It is easy to get a sense of God's presence in this high, holy and beautiful place.
Earlier today when so many things were converging I had a feeling that I would "see" God in some way and it struck me in the splendour and height of the mountains that my "seeing" of him would take place in a lower place. You never quite know how or where God will show his face.
Arriving in Molinaseca I still hadn't "seen" and I found the albergue at the other end of the town. It looks Japanese! I was the only resident but there was a man was cooking dinner for his dog. They were staying in an outside building. I went to town to get pain killers and went to Mass in the lovely old church of Santa Marina.
When I got back to the albergue it was such a relief, a joy to see Mark and Becky and I thought that they were surely the face of God for me! They were sitting by the fire so I joined them and the dog of the man joined me - very friendly, paws on my lap, licking my face. I'm not the dog kind of person but I was flattered that he was so taken by me! Mark asked me later if I realized that the dog is a pit-bull!!! The master's name is Gabriel - "angel Gabriel" he smiled when he introduced himself. Well.....I wasn't so sure about the smile or the angel bit!
I went up to my bunk to get ready to go out. Since it was the eve of Thanksgiving I decided to treat Mark & Becky to dinner. After a while Becky arrived up to say she had taken the liberty of inviting Gabriel to join us because he had lost his credit card, had no money and was trying to get to Rome to his parents. Becky is salt of the earth goodness of the gospel but I thought to myself "I don't believe this man", though I said nothing and really had no problem with him joining us.
Mark got the honour of walking the dog as we made our way back into town. Gabriel showed him that it was necessary NOT to be so gentle with the creature! At dinner the four of us sat - Mark & Becky opposite Gabriel and me.
The man annoyed me. He doesn't believe in God, has nothing good to say about the Church and on it went...But of course I had to surrender to the old Word that "God does not see as man sees..." and I looked at Gabriel and chose to acknowledge the revelation of God in him.
Funny thing, when I did that my feelings towards him softened and my horizon widened. We even ate food off each other's plate and hugged each other in the end. "Your teacher will hide himself no longer and you will see your teacher with your own eyes!"
We spent some time sharing on the things we are grateful for and what remains with me is Mark & Becky's gratitude for the gift of each other. Amen!
Comments
Post a Comment