On Day 5, we set off from the top of Sarria.
Don't we look all fresh and dewy (relatively speaking)? We'll see after 14 miles!
Today is May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker and the beginning of a month devoted to Mary.
The Camino is taking us through the Galicia region of Spain. Around 1,000 B.C., this area was settled by the Celts (those guys got around) and in many ways it has a similar feel to Ireland.
The stone fences above and below remind me of Ireland. They are made of granite rocks.
The Galicia region, like Ireland, is often rainy. We have heard hardship stories from pilgrims on two weeks of blowing rain they endured not long before we began our journey.
We have been blessed with beautiful weather. We have carried our ponchos in our daypacks, just in case.
We walk.
And then we take breaks.
Appreciating the flowers.
And the light.
Thanking God for our blessings.
Especially the blessing of arriving. Above is Portomarin, our next stop! Below is St. John's, both a church and a fortress, where very tired pilgrims attended Mass.
We are about halfway through our pilgrimage to Santiago. We offer the Pilgrim's Prayer in thanksgiving and petition.
The Pilgrim's Prayer
St. James the Apostle
Chosen among the first
You were the first to drink
The Cup of the Master
And you are the great protector of pilgrims;
Make us strong in faith
And happy in hope
On our pilgrim journey
Following the path of Christian life
And sustain us so that
We may finally reach the glory of God the Father
Amen
It sure looks peaceful and lovely in the pictures! I hope it is! It calms me even though I am sitting in a chair on Oak Lynn!
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful! I am happy the peace come through! Thanks for reading, Diane!
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful! I am happy the peace come through! Thanks for reading, Diane!
ReplyDeleteI remember walking over that bridge with Luke and Fr. Michael! This was the day I got my first and only blister & the one of the days I knew I couldn't have walked another mile! Today, Fr. Michael just posted on his audio blog the homily he gave at this Church!
ReplyDeleteI want to relisten to his homilies! Yes, this was a hard day (and kind of funny too). I remember we got to our hotel and they didn't have a room for us. We were too tired to care and plopped in chairs until they figured something out!
ReplyDelete