Church in Paradela

(Barbadelo to Portomarin’: 18.5 km, 6 1/2 hours, 1 hr & 30 min breaks; 27,018 steps, plus 2440 later)

Hebrews 12:14-28
22-23a But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven….

We’re getting closer. Maurice has studied the map and divided up the remaining distance, and we have evaluated where we might like to stay. We’ve just passed Sarria and pilgrim numbers have noticeably increased. When we get to Santiago there will be hundreds, maybe thousands, of pilgrims crowding into the cathedral for the pilgrim mass. But we won’t just be in the Santiago cathedral. Wherever God’s people gather to worship him in the name of Jesus, they touch the throne of heaven. Our praises rise and we are in “Mount Zion…the city of the living God.” It is not just the pilgrim people worshipping, in Santiago or anywhere else in the world believers gather, but also “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly” who join their praises with the earthly church and raise their voices in love of the Creator. Hallelujah! Lord, thank you that you made a way for us pilgrims yet on earth to touch heaven.

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Breakfast was expensive and only adequate. We left the room at 8:15, not realizing it was raining. We stood on the porch to put on our rain gear. As soon as we started walking, the rain tapered off and the path went up. We were too warm so we stopped to take off our jackets. Finally we were really on our way, past fields fenced with flat stones on edge, alongside pastures wet and green, through lovely lanes curving through tiny stone hamlets with barns and cows and the typical picturesque granaries elevated on stone pillars to keep the rodents out.

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