It is Holy Week and so coincidental that this fire occurred now. This event has shanghaied half my mind. Below are two comments posted by readers of our blog. The first by Cris Milher our Caminoheads South America Bureau Chief and the second from our friend Diego of Lake Arrowhead, California.
Dear Felipe,
The images from yesterday were devastating indeed… but the final image… with the shinning cross and the firefighters almost paying respect and in awe, were quite something… and indeed, very powerful this happened in Holy Week.
I listened to Fr. James Martin, in a video posted on the facebook… he made a point… “Where was God yesterday?” and that is such a valid question some of us ask everyday…
The other thing to observe has been all the “togetherness” that such event brought… look at this: you in Vashon Island, me in Banfield, today a work colleague from Russia who sent a message, all of us were touched and came to a point where we are together and not apart.
Yesterday too I listened to my hero YoYo Ma saying that “Culture builds bridges, no walls” and I loved that… and I thought later on and this morning when my work colleague from Russia sent the email… that is what culture and understanding and the Camino or whatever name you want to give to it, builds… Bridges… (or churches, where also people come together)…
Tight and close loves,
Cris
From Magnificat:
Virgin Mary, at the heart of the Cité
We pray to you for this capital city.
You Intact, preserve the purity of its faith!
Virgin Mary, from the banks of the Seine,
We pray to you for the country of France.
O Mother, teach it to hope!
Virgin Mary, in this great Christian site,
We pray to you for all the earth’s people.
You, full of grace, may they be one in Love.
Prayer of Saint John Paul II
Notre Dame of Paris (1980)
And gosh we are behind on our Lenten quotes once again. Well only two days behind. Lets put them all together:
How can I serve today, Sweet Spirit?
How can I serve today, Oh Lord?
Speak in ways that I may understand.
Where you lead me, I will follow.
Where you lead me, I will go.
from How Can I Serve Today? by Rickie Byars Beckwith.
The only journey is the one within. Rainier Maria Rilke
Life will give you whatever experience
is most helpful for the evolution of your
consciousness. How do you know this is
the experience you need? Because this
is the experience you are having
at the moment. Eckhart Tolle
These were things that I was pondering as I walked the miles of my trail in 2014 before the trip to Spain. I was already having a major interior pilgrimage. Walking the Camino de Santiago was like putting the icing on the cake.
OK, I think we are caught up with that project. There are three quotes left and three more days to go to Sunday. So, now for:
CAMINOHEADS CONVENTION – we have a email address dedicated to this event. People RSVP there if you are coming in August. We are coming up with information for you concerning inmportant details: transportation, lodging, activities and the like. But for now we are trying to get a feel for the head count.
OK, a long long post. Bye for now, Felipé.