PilgrimDance

Pamplona to Muruzabal:  17.4 km

Psalm 84
v. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

That’s us; our hearts are set on walking to Santiago with our Lord. That’s all of us, too, whose hearts are set on a faithful walk in this world until we get to our heavenly home. We are blessed as God refreshes us in dry places (v. 6). We are blessed with strength for the journey (v. 7). We pilgrims know that even just one day in the courts of the Lord, walking with him, serving with him, is better than days without number in the world’s joyless pastimes (v. 10). Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you (v.12). May I trust in you, now and forever.

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Graves are set under wood panels covering the entire floor surface of St. Nicolas Church

(Pamplona, Spain)

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need,” says another translation. We do. Keep reading

Zabaldika to Pamplona

1Chronicles 29:10-20 (NKJV)
v. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. Keep reading

passing the quarry at Zubiri

(Viskarret to Zabaldika)

2Samuel 22:2-7, 17-20, 26-37, 47
v. 34, 37 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights…. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.

We needed the broad paths and the feet of a deer today as we trudged mile after dusty mile, kilometer after rocky kilometer, aching, exhausted, wondering if we would be welcomed by the nuns or shut out in the heat of the day….

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(Roncesvalles to Viskarret:  19,000 steps)

Joshua 1:1-9
v. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Three times in this passage God told Joshua to “be strong and courageous,” and he says it to us too. Are you tired? Be strong. Shoulders hurt? Be courageous. “And don’t forget,” says the Lord, “I will be with you wherever you go.”

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At 6 am Maurice’s phone alarm went off, gentle harp chords. He did not hear it. I leaned over the bunk to hiss at him. He couldn’t find the phone. Then he couldn’t find the off button. But it didn’t matter. The Spanish wives were already in high gear. Keep reading

(I am editing my blog and discovered this post had disappeared so I am reposting it [3-7-2018].  Otherwise nothing new in it.)

(Orisson to Roncesvalles)

Deuteronomy 2:8-10

v. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

He led us all the way this long day and fed us with manna that we did not expect (v. 3) not in the wilderness but on the mountaintop. What a day!

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It took us a while to pack everything up in the morning, including our wet laundry. Breakfast was soggy toast with plenty of butter and jam; people didn’t dawdle but I tend to chew slowly. By the time we got out and filled our water bottles it was 8:12. Keep reading

dawn from our window

getting our credencials stamped at the Pilgrims Office

(St. Jean Pied de Port to Orisson, France:  13,481 steps)

Exodus 15:1-21
v. 1, 13 “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea….
In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.” Keep reading

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