A Linear, Moving Community
This post finds me on the camino de Santiago de Compostela, the 1000 or so year-old pilgrimage trail that runs across the top of Spain, ending at the place St. James is said to have been buried after evangelizing his way across the Iberian peninsula. A friend of mine and I are doing a project concerning pilgrimage, so we thought we´d start by getting back to basics. And so we have–we´re now a week into our trek.
I came to Spain early, and was a tourist for a while before becomng a pilgrim. As a tourist, I was struck by the number of churches that charge admission to enter, some not even bothering to use the euphemistic “donation.” It´s not that I don´t understand the increased costs to pay for guards, maintenance for the extra mess caused by tramping tourists, etc., but it made the experience of entering a church feel like entering a muesum of historical artifacts. It was hard to discern a living community in many of them.
On the camino, it´s different. Most churches are locked except for a few hours a few days a week. We got lucky once to find a lovely old sanctuary open for prayer, but, as fellow pilgrim Bernard from France remarked, “the churches–all cerrado!” [closed.]
Yet–we pilgrims are a kind of community of our own. We see some familiar faces day-to-day, while others either pass us by or we pass them, hoping that their camino will continue well. We share food, tips on how to deal with blisters, and stories of the road. We join polyglot tables for dinner, trying to express however we can the varying motivations that brought us to the road. Some come for healing, some for renewal, some for the community of the trail, some to discover themselves, some to redirect themselves, some to experience the echoes of centuries of journeying mystics and misfits, and some simply to stretch themselves in a difficult endeavor. There is a powerful spiritual communion on the camino, even if not always, or only haltingly spoken in terms of Christian tradition. I wonder if that wasn´t always part of the power of the camino–Jesus, after all, spoke of himself as the Way. The churches are mostly cerrado, but…didn´t our hearts burn within us?
Lisa, there is euphoria and there is substance. There is passion and there is love. When they are joined together it is great. I always found the word’s “The kingdom of God is within you” so compelling. There may be nothing more Christian than the mutual love and faith of one’s neighbor, who is everyone. That may be a true benefit of the pilgrimage as there are seekers who are sincere in their quest find common ground in the Way of the Lord.
The “holy person” phenomenon shows up in the Middle Ages when Christianity became more of a state experience rather than a way of life. When holiness became more admired than lived. Our hearts can indeed burn within us just as well wherever we are where Jesus is present all the time.
The last part of July is a busy time for pilgrimages in Northwestern Ireland. My wife and I were in Sligo during that period — there was much talk of Holy Wells. And Croagh Patrick and Lough Derg, both of them not far from Sligo, continue to attract numerous devotees, most of them veterans of previous pilgrimages.
Here are recent statistics for Lough Derg (about which Seamus Heaney has written an interesting poem, Station Island):
Pilgrim numbers up by 8.5 per cent on 2008 figures
Ratio of male to female pilgrims : 30:70 (although there was one day last year when males outnumbered females by a margin of one)
First-time pilgrims : 18 per cent
25 countries were represented during the 2009 season – including the US, Canada, Brazil Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, Lithuania, Slovakia and others
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0818/1224252769111.html
Approximately 25,000 hardy souls attempted to climb Croagh Patrick this year. “Then again, on the very next day, an estimated 11,000 “pilgrims” flock to the opening of the first Ikea store in the republic – which makes me wonder how much longer this mountain will hold any relevance.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/31/croagh-patrick-pilgrimage
Other sources are here:
http://studiesirishreview.wordpress.com/category/croagh-patrick/
Lisa-
Brava to you for making the Camino. A friend of mine has done it three times, and has found each experience powerful for many reasons on several levels. It is on my list of “Things to Do Before I Die.” I recently read “To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Santiago De Compostela” by Kevin A. Codd about his experience of making the pilgrimage. Do you hope to write something substantial about your experience? I hope you do.
Good luck and God speed.
Peace,
Anthony
Jesus says “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life”. It seems to me that the current Church doesn’t give nearly enough attention to the Way. There are doubtless many ways to Jesus, and His saying seems to express our dependency on a way if we are to find at least some of the Truth. And, of course, possession of some of the Truth seems to be a condition for sharing in His Life.
I suspect the thinning of Catholic ranks is due at least in part to the demise of old practices such as pilgrimages, novenas, and days of recollection, not to mention such ancient practices as labyrinths and real fasting. Labyrinths have re-emerged outside the fold, for instance, in a large city park here. (Don’t tell the ACLU. They might call it Catholic.)
I think there would be a problem with pilgrimages in the U. S. Where would we go? What would be the itinerary?
Buen Camino, Lisa! If you find another computer on the way, please tell us where you are. Some churches have a charming evening blessing for pilgrims – I hope you find some of those. Two churches run by the Benedictines come to mind especially: one, a small church in tiny Rabanal del Camino, was built by the Templars. The other is a large church adjacent to a monastery in Samos. (And Benedictine hospitality available at both.)
Lisa, I’m envious – I would *love* to be able to walk the Camino some day! I hope you are able to post more of your experiences / impressions.