Camino 13: Going Home

Camino 13
Thursday, 17th October, 2019.

"May the fire be in our whole being, in our legs and in our feet.
Enable us to walk the earth with reverence and care
So that we may walk in the ways of reverence and truth
And be protected from what is not truth."

From the last of Fr Michael's daily reflections.



We came down to breakfast in dribs and drabs, as everyone had different flights out of Santiago, or else were staying on for a while.  My two "buddies", Irene and Veronica, left early for early flights.  Thank you for being my buddies.

I left with the contingent who were flying to Barcelona, where I would connect with a flight for London (Gatwick).  Michael tried to attach the Harvest pennant to the front of our car.

At Santiago airport: Pearl, Jenny, Ned, Philip, Irene, Jan, Liz, Pat, Janny.

Flying into Barcelona.  Sagrada Familia is almost directly behind the tall white building at the front.

At Barcelona airport (with the Harvest pennant).
Back:  Pat, Irene, Philip, Jan, Janny.
Front:  Pearl, Liz, Jenny, Ned.

Although I haven't been a "genuine" pilgrim, walking hundreds of kilometres from France, carrying everything on my back, and hunting for basic accommodation at the end of each day's walking, doing this Harvest pilgrimage has been ideal for me:

• Travelling with a group of like-minded fellow pilgrims.
• Having our lovely Spanish guide Val to look after us, explain local history and customs, give us tips etc.
• Having our bus to take our luggage (and us if we wanted/needed to be taken).
• Having our friendly, helpful bus driver Alvaro to check us off along the way and make sure no one got lost.
• Having (sometimes quite luxurious) accommodation waiting for us at the end of each day. (Oh the joy of a hot shower and a soft, comfortable bed.)
• Fabulous food!  All breakfasts and dinners provided, and sometimes lunches, or recommendations from Val of great local places to eat.

But especially it was wonderful having our chaplain Michael travelling with us.  Michael said daily Mass and led us in morning prayers.  He provided a daily beautifully presented four-page reflection which included the day's gospel and psalm, which we prayed together, as well as relevant excerpts from papal documents, current theological writings and much more.  I will treasure these reflections for years to come.  Michael encouraged "full, conscious and active participation" in all liturgies, inviting different people to be responsible for choosing readers, gift presenters, servers etc.  He fully acknowledged Peter'sincerely s role as a deacon - catching him by surprise sometimes I felt, but Peter always rose sincerely and gently to the occasion.  Michael assigned us all a "prayer partner" to pray for during the walking and beyond.

Michael encouraged us to fully live each moment of our pilgrimage, to reach out to others in our group and beyond, and also to walk in meditative silence.  In any group gathering, he included everyone, especially the shy ones, and always made people laugh. 

Thank you Michael.

Goodbye to everyone.  Thank you for your friendship as we all begin this next chapter in our life's journey.  Buon Camino!