With the priest at Notre-Dame-au-bout-du-pont, St. Jean Pied de Port, France

Scripture reading: Exodus 14:10-14, 31
v. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?”

When the Israelites saw the Egyptians approaching in full battle gear they realized the enormity of their situation. “They were terrified and cried out to the Lord” (v. 10). “What have you done to us? You could just as well have struck us dead back home.” Over the past few days Maurice and I have been saying to one another, “Do we really know what we’re doing?” Of course the answer is no. We laugh and the wave of fear dissipates for a while. If we listen closely we can hear the still small voice of God: “Do not be afraid” (v. 13). “One step at a time and see where I take you.”

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This evening we went to mass (in French, of course!) at the church of Notre-Dame-au-bout-du-pont. Keep reading

St. Jean Pied de Port

Scripture reading: Exodus 12:31-39, 13:20-22
v. 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing.

The Israelites had to leave in a hurry (v. 33) and didn’t have time to plan their journey, but they had a lot to take with them: flocks and herds, clothing, treasures of gold and silver (v. 32, 35-36). They needed lunch, too, but without time to prepare anything they just grabbed their unleavened dough (v. 39). How did they manage to transport everything they had to take with them? “They had carts,” said Maurice (he saw the movie). Well, maybe they had some, but probably not one per family; some things would have had to be carried. “So they took their unleavened dough and carried it on their shoulders,” and not just the dough but the kneading troughs too, everything wrapped in extra clothing, with perhaps some special pieces of gold and silver stashed inside the bundles. How heavy was all that, and how awkward? I don’t suppose they had internal frame backpacks in lightweight tech fabric to move the load onto their hips. And how far is it from Rameses to Sukkoth? No idea (and no internet to find out). Yet they managed, all 600,000 men of them, with their families. Surely I can manage carrying my carefully selected and fitted pack with its agonized-over and tediously weighed contents. “That’s nothing,” said Army first sergeant Eric when he picked up Maurice’s loaded pack the other day, and mine is several pounds lighter. Sheila came over on Saturday and helped us make sure the packs were adjusted properly. So we should be able to do this. But on the flight from Frankfurt to Toulouse we met Kiwis Yvonne and Fred. They recognized that we were walking somewhere by our sturdy footwear. Their packs are so small they don’t even have a waist belt. “Just two of everything,” said Yvonne when I commented admiringly. But they don’t have sleeping bags, and I don’t think they have extra shoes, and probably neither they nor any other pilgrims have the pounds of tech gear we have. What else do we have that takes up so much space and weight? A few toiletries, a first aid kit, rain jackets, fleece vests and lightweight gloves (and a pair of tights for me) for colder days as we progress, and one half-pound guidebook. Well, plus a tech towel each and 17-gram washcloths (half the weight of a normal one!), and our standard vitamins and my thyroid pills (with backups, so we can have some in both packs). I have a small notebook with two pens (an extravagance) and Maurice has a plastic bag with a few art supplies. And we have flip-flops for albergue floors and showers of uncertain sanitation (my flips are only 104 grams). Lord, thank you for your provision for our pilgrimage. Please give us strength for the journey and wisdom to know what to cast aside and leave behind.

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Dinner on the plane was usual airline food but it came with wine and Bailey’s. Keep reading