Old Ansouis
We arrived in Ansouis and the painters wandered off to find their inspiration. There were winding streets, a view over the valley, an art exposition and a fortress church, dark inside, junky-looking and well-used. Keep reading
Mont Ventoux and Venasque
The other day I had asked Dan at Venasque’s tourist office about the cherry festival. His eyes lit up, and he told me about the confrerie and the costumes and the enthronement of the new members. “It’s just like all the other towns’ festivals,” he said, “but these are our people.” Keep reading
Poppies outside Pernes-les-Fontaines
It was market day in our little town, the stands set up on a street along a wall overlooking the old moat, so we set out to explore. It was la Provence condensed at our feet: Keep reading
Accidental image of our kitchen table Provençal
I perked up at our welcome dinner last night: an exquisite tapenade of olives, garlic and olive oil, with tiny toasts to spread it on (with the continuously refilled pichets de vin rouge I could have made that my whole dinner); Keep reading
Mark 14:27-28
“You will all fall away,” Jesus told his disciples, “for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
They had just shared the Passover meal that Thursday evening and something was amiss. In the midst of the ancient and beautiful liturgy, known by all and much loved, Jesus had changed the words: The broken bread was his body, the wine was the new covenant in his blood. What? The astounded disciples couldn’t grasp it. Something was about to happen–indeed, Jesus had identified his betrayer–but they didn’t see the whole picture. Now, quoting Zechariah, Jesus told them they would all fall away. “Not me!” insisted Peter, and all agreed.
Then Jesus gave this tantalizing promise that we might miss: “After I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Keep reading
“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” (Deuteronomy 8:2).
God “led you all the way…to humble you and to test you.” This passage from an early day on the Camino reverberated in my mind our whole journey. To humble you and to test you. I now realize it was the Lord who put the idea of the Camino into our minds. It was the Lord who walked with us and provided for us. It was the Lord who set up the tests, heightening the mountains and lengthening the paths until we knew we couldn’t do it without him.
(Too many kilometers to count)
Lamentations 1
v.7a …Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old….
And I did too. We were away from home for almost two months, something we’d never done before. It was hard leaving Chris and Krystle and screamy little Calvin in Spain. It was uncertain how we would get home and how much trouble that would be. It’s always a little hard getting back into the routine of regular life, but that is where we have treasures in the midst of the mundane that we might forget to appreciate. We missed our family, our friends, our church, our garden and home, our projects and regular responsibilities. And our sweet little cat–would he even remember us? Then there were the treasures of the Camino. It wasn’t a “fun” trip but it was valuable. The Camino was interesting, it was challenging, it was invigorating, it was instructive, parts of it were quite satisfying, but it wasn’t “fun” in the “let’s-take-a-vacation” manner. It was full of treasures. I see them when we talk about our adventure, when I look at our pictures, when I think of the people we met and the beauty we saw. I think treasures will become clearer as we process the whole pilgrimage. Thank you, Lord, for all the treasures you give us in this life. Help us to value them and use them well, for your glory.
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We packed up one more time, hiked to the bus station, rode to the airport and got our flight to the south of Spain. Keep reading
Galician delicacy percebes
(Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
Revelation 22
v. 1-3 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb…. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit…. No longer will there be any curse….
Revelation 22, the last chapter in the Bible, gives us a final glimpse of the end of time and the eternal kingdom of God. After the tribulations of life, the delights of heaven will be exquisite. We experienced a foretaste of those celestial delectations today. At the completion of our pilgrimage, this Sunday was the icing on the cake, the cherry on the sundae, the gilt on the lily. After the stress and adventure, the physical strain and all the ups and downs of our pilgrimage, we were treated to a magnificent lunch and served as though we were the pope (because they did serve the pope at this classy establishment and they knew how to do it). Keep reading
(Santiago de Compostela)
Revelation 21:1-8, 22-27
v. 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.”
It is done. The Camino that danced in my mind for decades, that we planned for more than a year, that we started on the wet cobblestones of St. Jean Pied de Port and that seemed to stretch out to infinity under steep and dragging kilometers, has been accomplished. Maurice and I walked all the way across Spain, five hundred miles on our own two feet. We finished. It is done and I am amazed. It wasn’t just us, though, nor us and hundreds of companion pilgrims. Jesus, the Alpha and Omega of all life and creation, was with us from beginning to end, giving us what we needed from the spring of the water of life. Thank you, Jesus, that you walked with us. Thank you for your great faithfulness to us.
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After completing their own pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand decided to improve infrastructure for pilgrims along the Way. About 1492 they founded a hospice in Santiago where pilgrims arriving at the end of their journey could stay free of charge for a few days. Their building, the beautiful Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos, provides hospitality to travelers today as a five-star parador, but we had heard a rumor that it still gives free meals to pilgrims. Keep reading
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