Monday morning and I have an hour to get things done before the walk at 0900. Foggy and still outside right now, sometimes we live for days in the clouds. Here at Caminoheads I have been wanting to revisit something that we covered way back in the Fall of 2014 that was powerful then and I want to recapture that to keep us centered in these fragmented times.
Kelly and I left the Camino trail one day to visit a church that was part of a string of churches built by the Knights Templar way back when. It wasn’t terribly far off the beaten track in kilometers but it was far off in time. It was very beautiful in a way that only old cherished places can be that perhaps have fallen on hard times recently. It was manned (?) by a women, I think of her as a nun in sweatpants. And she was sweeping up and she gives me a half a page of print. This artifact proved extremely helpful to me and formed the groundwork of this blog in the aftermath of my pilgrimage.
There were ten items on both sides of the half sheet and they were termed the Pilgrim Beatitudes. These are so vivid and succinct. And they are plain spoken and mysterious at the same time. I carried these with me in my fanny pack and read them often on the Camino. This is what I searched for. Here is the first one just for today:
BLESSED ARE YOU PILGRIM, IF YOU DISCOVER THAT THE CAMINO OPENS YOUR EYES TO WHAT IS NOT SEEN.
OK said I, let’s start looking for what is not seen. Let’s walk and think about that. Let’s talk and think about that. Let’s shower and sleep and think about that. Let’s eat and drink and think about that.
That was my Camino in 2014. And this is our Camino, right here and right now. What are we going to make of it? Blessed are you pilgrim, love, Felipe.
I haven’t even had coffee yet but here we go. Let’s contemplate this big issue. It seems easier to do on Camino but that’s because all I had time to do was walk and think. And talk.
But I’ll start contemplating. And looking.
Love you. Buen Camino!
Hi Esther ~ have your coffee for Pete’s sake. And who was Pete anyway. Oh 11:24, time for bed. See you tomorrow, Felipe.x.
Hola Felipe,
Gracias por getting back to my comment; so much appreciated! And yes, I am with you in the walking after arriving to Santiago -meaning this blog, or shared life-, -in Seattle or Banfield, south Buenos Aires-.
That first statement is wonderful… I went to the Camino twice, the first time for 12 days, all I had. Then in 2014, for the whole Camino. The Camino opened me the eyes to see a world I had never seen before, actually, a world I had never lived in before… a shared world. And this shared world is full of beauty, and full of courage, and full of hands who are not offering help, they are giving generosity.
Post the other 19 statements please!
Warm hugs (very warm, it is like 36°C today here!)
Cris
Hello to you and summer Cris ~ I would like to take some of that heat from you. This is the time of year when I start whining about how long the winter seems. So, yes the Camino is something special. There is some famous quote about it being an addictive drug which I laugh about but there is something to that. Yes, I will continue on with the Pilgrim Beatitudes. They are the best thing that I have every come across to getting to the heart of the Camino. And I was so so lucky to have them with me to show me what to look for as I walked. So, here is a question for you. Are you and Pope Francis buddies from way back? I am going to look up Buenos Aires and see where Banfield is. We North American know so little about your continent. OK, that’s all I got for now. Keep in touch, Felipe.x
Hola Felipe,
Glad to send the heat there! We have mild winters down here, I am always happy about that because the winter is not my favourite season of the year!
The Camino is such a moving experience, and for some of us, such a different one from what we have in daily life that I can tell why it can be addictive (it is for me, not because I have gone twice, just because I became a better person, a better human being, after being there). I wrote a couple things about it, in my facebook and in my blog. I will email you them.
And yes… I am a buddy with Pope Francis… well not really buddy, but I met him a couple times. Such an amazing man… I will email you about it too. I went to a Jesuits Catholic school in my secondary school (from 13 to 17), and he was the director of the Jesuitics Schools at that time. I met him twice. Some years ago, while he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he offered the hall of the Cathedral to set up a place to distribute food and blankets and if needed medical attention (basic things) to the homeless. I used to go some evenings after work and often times he was there; I remembered exchanging some words with him one of those evenings. A very sweet, calm and compassionate man, yet very grounded and with very intense points of view.
You are an inspiration… When I read your story, I shared it in my facebook. I do medical research and at that time, I was working on the clinical trial phase of 2 different drugs for lung cancer. The Camino, your story, my Camino, my personal world, all became entangled with I read about your story.
Big warm hugs!
Love
Cris
Cris ~ what a rich amazing comment you just made. I hardly know where to begin to answer you. I am so glad that you are my new friend in the new year. I just read one post on your blog. Very nice. And thanks for the stories of your buddy. He really took us all by surprise, such a breath of fresh air. And it is most interesting that you are working on cancer research. Me too. I have developed this serious cancer hobby that takes up a lot of my time. I have uncovered some interesting things on my journey. But God,the good guy that he is, is keeping me alive actually just to be me. I wish I had more time now to talk to you but my day calls. Felipe.x