23 May 2013
One month on Camino this day

Hospital, Spain
78 km from Santiago

S A T A N
JEOPARDY

Buen Camino

This was another great walk through the Galacia province. It was through soft-spirited, dense, pine forests, farms with the distinct aroma of "country air," and wide, mud-hardened trails. It did include a 300m climb which was an intense breath-stealer.

I made it to the top by leaning down toward my toes and, using my breath with one foot step, said the word, "HAVE" and the next footstep to the word, "FAITH." One step, have ; next step, faith. I prayed each and every footstep. I guess it's my silly mind game to get me to the top of a intensely steep hill. I works.

It has been particularly exciting to have broken the 100km mark to Santiago. Now each camino marker builds greater excitement and anticipation. Today I sit 78km from Santiago on a gorgeous spring day. The pictures I attached overlook the countryside from the little dining area where we stay for the night.

It's a treat today. We are staying at a Hotel with a real bath, real bed with linen, and only the three of us in the room( it's cheaper to share with 3-4 when in these camino hotels, and it's quite common). Far better than an albergue of 56! The thought just came to us, we are down to the last three albergues to endure before reaching Santiago. Amen!

I had a surprising day in my thinking today. With Santiago this close, one would think that only spiritual, holy thoughts would consume one.Well, it was a challenging day. It wasn't until late in the day of all these thoughts that I could recognize the humor in what was happening to see it for what it was. With that end-of-the-day-insight, I engaged my creative thinking to call this day's thoughts by a new game show I invented called, SATAN JEOPARDY.

Here's what revolved in my reflection today. Only now can I laugh at it all and play with it.

The categories in Satan's game show were as follows:


People who have offended me
People who are arrogant
Old hurts
Things that make me angry
Times someone stole my ideas for their benefit
Loud, angry comments that hurt my feelings
Times I was taken for granted
Things to worry about

I found myself stewing over each of these categories today. I hated, hated having such things work like a carousel-round and round, up and down- in my head. I wanted to think only about being so near the cathedral and all that has inspired me since the calling to el Camino de Santiago de Compostela in March,2012. I wanted only those fun thoughts. Instead, I had this junk in my head.

It's only now that I can be entertained by the challenge by making fun of it as a silly, Satan game show. I really liked the whole imagination of how Satan gets my/our attention with categories like the one's I listed. You might have new or others to include. It's as if he gets me/our attention and allows us to choose a hot-button category. Can you hear yourself saying: "I'll take 'People Who Have Offended Me for 200." ? Then the whole darn memory repeats and a little bit more of my/our peace is lost. Not long afterward my/our response to the first question, I/we get into it and then we're calling for another square for 300, then 400, then 500.

Before long I/we are full tilt into Satan's game show. Choosing another category and raising the stakes creates an ugly energy that can be addicting. True? The energy is all dark and selfish. Before long, I/we have moved into Satan's Final Jeopardy round. Here he presents the manipulatively worded, emotionally charged, perfectly chosen question to put my/your "faith-in-action calling" in jeopardy.

Surprising thing about how one gets invited into this game. I don't believe that I/we choose to go there. I tend to think I/we slide gently into it. It's begins with a little intriguing invitation to one of the categories, ideas grow, old emotions are activated, and SO VERY deceptively, it's as if he has his arm around our shoulder, Satan walks you/me into deeper and deeper darkness.

While that's happening, I/we find ourself getting agitated. Our ego gets involved, and I/we replay what was said, what, 'by God', would be said the 'next' time such a thing would occur, and how I/we'd show the offender 'next' time. A whole new theatrical performance of might and brilliance is performed in our thinking in order to put the offender in his/her submissive place.

Wow! It's all his STUPID game. Satan Jeopardy. He worked hard on me today. The grace and blessings of Santiago are just days away, and he wanted to pirate my joy.

Here's how I quit his game. I said the rosary. It's not my customary prayer routine, but it is kryptonite for Satan. The Blessed Mother and Satan are diametrically opposed. Purity and evil can NOT coexist. She is pure, in communion with the Trinity, has the ear of her son, she is holy. And Satan, well, he's a deceiver and soul robber.

So why does God allow such temptation? Consider the story of Job in the Old Testament. I'd encourage you to read even the first part of the book. It all began with God and Satan in conversation over Job, a devout lover of God. Satan asks God for the opportunity to break Job's faith in Him. God grants Satan this opportunity, knowing that Job's faith would triumph. You can read the story. Satan creates torment in Job's life, and he suffered great anguish. In spite of it all, Job's beautiful faith perseveres. Why? Because he kept his eye on faith.

I can only imagine that with each trial, Job might have said to himself, "HAVE. . . FAITH. HAVE. . .FAITH HAVE . . .FAITH

1 Peter reads, "Be happy about this. Our faith, which is more precious than gold, must be tested in fire." The test makes it pure, and the explanation given to me is that as gold is being purified in the intense heat, the refiner knows it is pure only when he can see his own reflection in the molten gold.

I think this is true for us. Our faith is and must be tested in fire. Satan provides a valuable test for us. In the fires of temptation, our precious faith is made pure.

If you should find yourself playing one of Satan's worthless games, keep the image of Jesus' mom in mind. No greater wrath is there than a mother's protection.

And when Satan is testing your faith, "be happy about this." It's being refined.

I pray that mine/ours is a mirror reflection of our dear maker's face.

Upcoming:
somewhere 24km closer to Santiago, Lord willing

Carinosamente,

Deacon Willie