Greetings this time from Ponferrada, a city of some 70,000 people, well to the west of Pamplona where I began this Camino Walk. I am currently well over the 900,000 steps and in the course of next week I will reach 1 million steps. It has been great to pass the 400 km to go milestone, then the 300 km to go. The accompanying photograph shows that I have now passed the 200 km to go milestone!
While walking this Camino I have become aware of the need for humility. I’m very conscious that I don’t know Spanish and I don’t know Spain. My Spanish has improved tremendously in the time that I’ve been here, or probably it is more accurate to say that my use of Google Translate has become more efficient! However, many times I’m in positions where I can’t use that and have to ask for directions or for clarifications. It’s humbling to engage with people who are genuinely wanting to help and I don’t have the facilities to be able to engage with them efficiently. It made me aware of the need for humility in my life and the humiliations that are part and parcel of this walk. I am always becoming more aware of my need to rely on God to guide and strengthen me, and for me to see the ways in which I’m being led into different connections on this walk. I’m very aware that this Camino is slipping by very quickly and I’m so conscious of the ways that I’ve been enriched, extended, challenged, humiliated, and/or inspired, and all those things that have made it such a wonderful experience for me.
It has been enlightening for me to engage with people about the banner on my pack indicating that I am walking in solidarity with Palestine and to raise funds for Bethlehem University students. The vast majority of people who engage with me show genuine concern for the Palestinian people. I know that many of these people lack a deep understanding of how the situation in Israel/Palestine came about and how to support the Palestinian people. I’ve received many donations in cash from people who have walked past me on the journey, people I’ve sat and had meals with, owners of cafes who have seen the banner and wanted to help, other people I’ve walked with, some for a few hours, others for a whole day, have also given. I find it encouraging and, I hope inspiring for people who are not on the walk with me, that so many people are concerned about what is happening to the Palestinian people today and want to do their little bit to support the students. I tell them about the people around the world who are also giving to support the students at Bethlehem University.
I continue to be inspired, amazed, and grateful for the people that I have met. Some of them several times as our paths cross. Others I meet only once. Today I was walking and a young Italian man who was biking the Camino saw my banner and came up behind me and slowed down. As I walked and he cycled slowly, we had a wonderful encounter.
The stories that people share and the insights that they give are inspiring for me. I’m always curious about why people are on the Camino. Underlying many of the discussions I’ve had with people is a desire to have a much clearer idea of what their life is about at the stage of life they are in now. I find this is particularly the case for men who have recently retired and see 20 to 30 years ahead of them without work and wondering, how can they use the time, not in work, but in a way that is of benefit to people. In light of that I found it interesting remembering Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s talks during the sabbatical about the seasons of life and particularly what he called the Forest Dwellers – the people who have retired and give away their death to enrich those around them. This is a fascinating approach tied into Jesus giving his death away by the Spirit he left. In a similar way, the spirit, people who die leave, emerges from their life and how they relate to others that is life-giving or destructive. (See Fr. Ron’s article.) So, it’s been interesting talking to people along those lines and listening to them explore a different life after retirement that enriches other people’s lives.
Recently the walk took me to the highest point on the whole Camino, rising to over 1,500 m or about 5,000 feet. I was walking with another person, and we stopped on the top at the Cruz de Ferro where a tall poll has a simple iron cross on the top. Hundreds of people have had the practice of bringing a stone from home that represents the things they want to leave on the Camino and of which they long to be free. They bring the stone on the Camino and place it at the base of the pole. There is quite a pile of stones there!
As I was leaving Leon, I met a young Australian woman from Sydney, and we walked together for the rest of the day. I found it inspiring and uplifting to hear her story and her move out of the lucrative corporate world and into something quite different, including exploring South America. Shortly after we had had lunch together, a young Frenchman and another from the Netherlands, both of whom had walked with her over several days previously, joined us. The four of us walked on to complete a 35 km day. We had some wonderful discussions about world politics, about the economy in the world, about politics in France, the Netherlands, Australia, and Palestine. We talked about Bethlehem University, what each of us was doing with our lives, and the values we wanted to live by and how that related to Church and our experience. It was just a wonderfully uplifting experience for me. The company and the engagement really meant the kilometers flew by. When we arrived in the town where we were all going to stay, we decided to buy food at a supermarket and cook dinner. We had a wonderful evening together. I am building a wonderful store of fond memories that will be a source of encouragement in the future.
Again, thanks to those people who are supporting this venture and helping students at Bethlehem University. As I mentioned above, I have taken almost 1 million steps as my effort to assist those students. I would invite you to consider how you and the people you know might be enticed to also support those students, if you have not already done so.
Please keep me in your prayers as I travel through the final stages of this pilgrimage. I pray for you all in gratitude for the generosity that is being shown.
Best wishes
Brother Peter