Leaving Leon at dawn

(Leon to Villar de Mazarife: 21.8 km, 5 1/2 hours, with 1 hr in breaks; 29,500 steps, plus 2520 later)

Romans 8:18, 31-39
v. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

This Camino is hard, and it hurts, but this is a journey of our choosing, a gentle yet persistent call freely accepted. In the big picture our misery is trifling. In the Leon museums I was confronted with depictions of faithful martyrs for the gospel dying gruesome deaths. Even their suffering, writes Paul, “is not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” It’s another hint of the inexpressibly wonderful kingdom God has prepared for his children. Thank you, Lord, for your grace to endure suffering and for your promises for the future.

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The workers in the streets labored all night setting up for festivities to begin anew the following night; we heard them whenever they hammered or shouted loud enough to wake us up. When we we left the hotel at 7:50 am, carrying our packs again, it wasn’t as cold as we had expected, probably only in the low fifties. The streets were dark and empty. As we walked traffic was sparse and some streets had none at all–at a time it would be rush hour in any city in the US. We decided the upcoming evening’s fest was to be such a big event that everyone was resting up for it. Keep reading

Tympanum at San Isidoro:  Abraham and Isaac and the ram caught in the bush

(Leon, Spain: 3721 walking-around steps)

Romans 8:5-13
v. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Subject to death, indeed. Death by thousands of steps each day, soon adding to millions, and the trauma they inflict on the body. Toes, arches, bunions, heels, all the rest of the feet, calves, shins, knees, thighs, hips, glutes, back, shoulders–it all hurts, just hopefully not all at the same time. Does the body ever get used to this? It is easier than it was the first week but we still ache at the end of the day. It’s probably harder on those of us at the far end of the age spectrum; we’ve had more decades to operate all our parts and start to wear them out. Yet the Spirit of Christ Jesus, perfect in righteousness and rich in love toward all he has created, continues to give us life by his grace. He renews us day by day and will do so until the moment he enlivens our dying flesh with immortality. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your life-giving Spirit at work even now, and forever, in those who trust in you.

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When we finally got up we had pastry and orange juice in our room before going for pastry and hot drinks at the chocolateria. In front of the cathedral we wandered around a vegetable market bursting with huge red peppers and fat onions.

At our little San Isidoro plaza a stage was being set up and decorative banners have been strung across the street we walk down. Keep reading