26 April 2013

Buen Camino,

Be vigilant!

Today I met a pair of effervescently happy spirited young 25 year old girls from Canada.  There are soon start a master´s degree in Theology. We walked from Zubiri to Pamploma talking God callings and stories about how He has loved us onto El Camino. Along the way, Lydia, a bubbly happy, loud laugher developed gruesome blisters on the back of her heal. They were bloody and so painful looking.

I offered to carry her bag. She replied, ¨Someone must need my prayers so I´ll just offer it up for them.¨ She was grinning from ear to ear.  Talk about ¨offering it up- with joy.¨

She would not let me carry her bag, but I surrendered my walking sticks so that she could use them for easing some of the strain on her feet.

I have joined a threesome from South Africa. Eric is a tall, tall former bishop there with his wife and their friend. They are 76 years old and have walked the camino 2 years ago. Better than that, I have nicknamed Eric, Magellan. He reads maps and can follow them easily. They are wonderful, spirit filled people.

While we walked to Pamploma the simple shower, turned to steady rain, turned to steady cold down pours. What made it so difficult was that the muddy trail strewn with rocks of all sizes and shapes clutters the trail. Much of the trail is a steady climb up and many today were steep down trails. Navigating down a muddy hill trying to step around rocks and working so very hard not to slide and fall was painstakingly difficult.

It occurred to me how I needed to be vigilant. Falling was so very easy to do and the slip would be more than just painful. Falling would bring suffering and regret. I had to minute by minute during tedious parts of the trail to be vigilant.

This thought penetrated my soul. How important it is to be vigilant in my faith walk. To be vigilant against temptation. To be vigilant for Satan´s deceptive techniques. Be vigilant to avoid the pain and suffering of sin.

How grateful I am for Jesus who is so vigilant in His love for me- and for his protection to this point. 

Tomorrow we head toward Puenta la Reina and to the jewel of the Camino- Eunate. Books I´ve read claim that this is where the spiritual highlight of the Camino came.

I´m open to whatever God has in store for me. I pray to hold it with soft gentle hands. It hurts so much when I grasp it in demands and expectations and He chooses to gift me in ways and places of His choosing.

Following Eunate, we head on one of the more dangerous descents.  Rain and possible snow while in the 50´s tomorrow. Yikes.

Please continue to pray for me. I feel all of them. Know that I pray so fondly of all of you.

We´ll follow lovely Lydia joy of offering it up in sacrificial love.

And, Be vigilant.

Carinosamente,

Deacon Willie