'To be a Pilgrim' Jim Currin

I have just returned from walking the last 184 kilometres of the ‘Camino’ pilgrim route, marked by yellow arrows, marker stones and the sign of the cockle shell, which leads to the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, in the north west corner of Spain.

I was very glad of the ‘Buen Camino’ good wishes of fellow pilgrims, especially when the legs began to ache and blisters started to appear! Companions on the way were mainly German, with quite a few Dutch and frequently Canadian, Australian and Brazilian folk who had flown over specifically. Surprisingly there were few other English people, apart from our party of 27 from Coventry .

Over a thousand years millions of ‘peregrinos’ from all over Europe have walked ‘The Camino’ to Santiago de Compostela where it is said the remains of the Apostle James lie. St Francis of Assisi was one such pilgrim in 1214. In the Middle Ages all good Christians had to make a pilgrimage, either to Jerusalem, Rome or Santiago , after which it was believed eternal life was assured.

In recent years the Camino Way has become very popular again. Having a pilgrim passport and getting it frequently rubber stamped en route to verify the 100k+ achievement for the ‘compostela’ certificate is all part of the fun, as is the communal refuge accommodation with its corporate snoring competition! For me, though the best thing was the freedom to walk in very green beautiful countryside, with all I needed on my back, and no particular plan of where to stay or eat that day. It was fantastic.

At this time of year 500 such pilgrims a day reach the Cathedral for the midday celebration Pilgrim Mass. In the height of summer 12-1500 a day arrive. Some see the famous dramatic incense burner in use, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P1R2GxpuNY). We were not so lucky: just thankful to arrive and join in the celebration, achievement, prayer and catch up with people met along the way.

Our 8 day pilgrimage led me to reflect on many things. Many of the trivial, incidental and amusing incidents will be posted on jimcurrin.blogspot.com with photographs. For now though, these are some reflections on the general theme: ‘To be a Pilgrim’.

1. Hospitality. The local Spanish people see hundreds of people pass by and yet they still say ‘Hola’ and ‘Buen Camino’. Such patience and generosity. Many of the ‘refugios’ are free for a donation and the bars provide cheap meals early in the evening. It might be a short menu but it is all you need. One night a bar was opened just for me. Why can’t we be more generous to visitors among us?

2. Trust. Having been assured that basic facilities were available en route, I was really looking forward to following the arrows and working out the rest along the way. Others had been there before me and at one point I was shown the way to a chapel by a blind man. Lots of lessons about trust, surprise and thankfulness came to mind. Do we trust enough for God’s blessing, especially through other people?

3. Spirituality. Contrary to a modern misconception that spirituality is about being warm, cosy and comfortable, the pilgrimage is a reminder that it can also be very practical, every day, and hard. Some of our party had bad blisters and one bought the tee shirt ‘no pain no glory’! Pilgrim writers all talk of the lessons learnt through difficulties and the ups and downs of life. Do we see God is all things?

4. Accompaniment. The heart of ‘my camino’ was the couple of days spent walking by myself, rather than with others in the group. For me the time for reflection and retreat was important and I read Becoming Human by Jean Vanier. Amongst other things, Vanier speaks of finding our identity through relationships with other people. For better or worse, we all accompany each other. How can we help each other become more like Christ?

5. Anonymity. Apart from the group leader, I did not really know anyone else in our party. On the way you also meet people you have not met before and won’t see again. In the course of the conversation however, it is quite natural to ask ‘what do you hope for from this camino?’ It is surprising what deep conversation follows and it made me ask the question: ‘do we shy away from asking people what they hope for in life?’ Sometimes, anonymity can be an advantage.

6. Calling. I hadn’t planned to do so, but when I was walking I wore my Church Army polo shirt. A priest in our party carried a chalice and paten. Somehow I wanted to reflect on my calling to be an evangelist as it is part of my ongoing journey with Jesus. I reflected on the hundreds of people walking the camino now, while it is said that St James himself only converted 9 people in his lifetime. What does this say about success and failure in our ministry?

The biggest lesson of all of course is that the pilgrimage started before I went on the walk, and continues now I am home and back to work. The lessons and reflections are as much for my benefit as anyone else’s and need to be kept in mind with all of the difficulties and joys, sadness and surprise, which makes up our everyday Christian life and ongoing walk with the Lord. We are all pilgrims. ‘Buen Camino.’

To find out more contact the Confraternity of St James www.csj.org.uk.

Jim Currin is a CTE staff member: jim.currin*cte.org.uk. (please replace * with @. This will save automatic spam being generated. Thank you)

Poem written by Robin Trew, the group organiser, whilst in the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela.  

Lord you have provided

Bread to eat

Wine to drink

Shelter for the night

Companions on the way.

Where were you Lord as I walked?

I was in the bread you ate.

I was in the wine you drank.

I was with you as you sheltered from the night

And in the pilgrims on your way.

So that

Beyond words you might know that

I am the bread of life

I am the living water

I hold you in the hollow of my hand.

I am the way.