Last Things

At mass today I had this odd sensation that this would be the last time I would be celebrating with the community that has been so much a part of my life for the past 25 years.  I wondered if I would remember peoples' names after being away for two months.  I wondered who might be my community while I am away.  I wondered who would touch my life in a meaningful way.

As I have prepared for my Camino I made contact with a fellow named Ruud from Holland who will share ground transport from Biarritz to St Jean Pied de Port.  We have exchanged photos, said a bit about our families and places of origin, and our reasons for our pilgrimage.  He is more-or-less the same age as I am, with kids about the same age.  Our reasons for undertaking the Camino are both religious and spiritual; we are each facing the same anxieties (separation, loneliness, distance from those that are important to us), but at the same time looking forward to the adventure.

At the community Eucharist today, parishioners from the next village along the highway mentioned that two of the parishioners from their community had started their pilgrimage about three weeks ago.  I think the Camino is a wonderfully unique experience--but on the other hand it is a rather pedestrian experience, even to the point of discovering that St Jean PdP is almost fully booked the day I am arriving. Fortunately, the next municipal Albergue in Roncesvalles has 120 beds!

Some of my followers have asked for a map....here is one that I rather like, showing the Camino in stages:    http://blog.cutieonthecamino.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/EPSON004.jpg