A lovely burden

One of the loveliest burdens was put upon me today.  Cheryl, a friend of mine whose husband Mike died several years ago, asked me to carry his cross from Cursillo (a church renewal program based on the Spanish for "short course") to leave at the Cathedral in Compostela.

Mike had aspired to do the Camino, but was not able to, and so I have been asked to complete it on his behalf.

I'm not terribly pious, as my friends know (I style myself "sometimes reverend, seldom pious"), but this is becoming a wonderful devotional exercise.

Pilgrims often think of themselves as accomplishing the pious act of the pilgrimage (in fact in 1189, Pope Alexander III declared Santiago de Compostela a holy city -- all who completed the pilgrimage would receive 50-per-cent dispensation from their time in purgatory).  

I have discovered that through such tasks as carrying Mike's cross, the Parish sponsorship, and the prayer support that has been offered over the past several weeks and months that I am not doing this just for myself, but for many others. One of the women's guilds from the parish gave me a tee-shirt with their names stenciled on the back.  Others have just handed me a donation (Veritas -- the local Catholic bookstore, for example).  And the good wishes, a few cards and some email messages have made me even more aware of others' good thoughts.  

I hadn't realized that this Camino was important to anybody other than me.