Pilgrim's Journey 2000

The piece below was written while on a pilgrimage to Portugal and Spain in 2000. My sister and I traveled together with a group of friends from Centering Prayer of Central Florida. This was such a wonderful experience,  I wanted to share it with you.  

PILGRIM’S JOURNEY

I praise you, Lord for all your wondrous gifts to me. May I listen to your voice and faithfully record what you present to me so as to share your great love and mercy with others.

JOURNAL – MAY 2000

May 12^th

“The longest journey begins with one step.”

This day was as long as two days because I went from 6:30 AM on Friday until 10PM on Saturday night without much sleep. We traveled by jet plane – a very small plane for a transcontinental flight at that.

Some of the members of our band of Pilgrims.

 Sweet dear astute woman, very pretty, very kind and gentle, spirit-filled, a joy to know and easy to love.

 Sinister lady in her late sixties who wears “respectable” skirts with jackets, blouses with bow ties at the necks and two inch shoes of the type our grandmothers wore. She has retired twice once from a government job and once from a part time job.

 Short sweet tempered funny woman with the gift of gab &wit.

May 13^th

“Fortify my soul dispose it first, Good of all goods and my Jesus..” Life – Chapter 21

We have walked the streets of Lisbon. We prayed in the Cathedral of St. Anthony of Pradue. We saw the tiny crept where he was born. We then traveled to Cormbra and on the way; above us we saw the white helicopter transporting Pope John Paul from Fatima. We traveled on to our hotel. My sister and I had a wonderful room, large and roomy. Our traveling companions were talking about how they had to climb over one another to get to the bathroom. Wow! We were so blest! We slept fairly well until morning.

May 14^th

After breakfast we were on our way again! We were traveling to Fatima! We visited the homes of the children and the site that the Virgin Mary appeared to them. We had a great lunch across the street and then in the evening returned to the church built on the site of the visitations.

The Psalm of Fatima

We lingered under the trees of Fatima. Our candles rose to the stars praising the wondrous works of God among us. The gifts of the Virgin Mother to her children.

By the well, the children played

By the well, the children prayed, and

The Virgin heard their prayers and

The Virgin called them to her

Like the yellow flowers that scent the air

Under the trees of Fatima so is the scent

Of sanctity that lingers there still.

Under the moonlit sky, we raised

Our candles high!

Oh my Mother Mary, that I know

A child’s faith,

Under the trees of Fatima!

I saw the penitent pilgrim crawling

On her knees holding her baby

In her arms under the trees,

Under the trees of Fatima

And her tears fell upon rosy cheeks

Upon the ancient stones

Where the Virgin Mother (who understands

A mother’s tears) blessed the little

Children and took them to herself.

There is a fire burning under the trees of Fatima.

The voices of pilgrims echo in song,

A collage of voices woven from all

The tribes of the earth.

We lifted our voices woven in praise.

We praised the God of our Fathers.

Giant candles that light up the night

Each one a prayer rising to God.

Work notes from Fatima:

Gnarled hands caked with grime held out in supplication,

Eyes that have seen a century slip away.

Sanctity like a velvet cloak under the lacey pattern cast by

Sun and trees.

May 15^th

We celebrated Mass in a massive chapel crusted with gold. The ceilings were blacked with prayer wafting toward heaven in the incense of the centuries. Above the altar, set back in the wall, was a gold casket framed with glass. “Who are you?” I wondered. “Laying there for centuries. Where is there rest in this setting, but then, death itself is supposed to be restful, isn’t it?”

The church sexton was very unhappy with us for being late, but it was an eventful trip. We began by climbing a very steep hill while dodging speeding automobiles that were careening downward, only to be told we could take a bus all the way to the top. Upon arriving at the Monastery of St. Clare, we had to convince the cleaning woman to wait until after Mass to continue her cleaning.

After Mass we traveled north to Spain, stopping for lunch in the town of Vigo along the coast, making our way to Santiago.

Work Notes:

Pink & blue table clothes, heavy paper napkins.

Trying to order form a menu in Spanish.

May 16^th

Today mass we celebrated in the Cathedral of Santiago De Compostella. We were late (as usual) and in a hurry. We had a local guide for Santiago & the Cathedral. She was a young woman named Maria. She was excellent, knowledgeable & thoughtful of her clients (us). We got to experience the Pilgrims way. We placed our hands in the pillar, imprinted with the hands of millions of Pilgrims. We touched our heads to the top of the statues head and made three wishes. We also climbed up behind the altar and hugged the huge statute of St. James, which is facing the church. We were told to be in the church for the “Boca Fumator”, which is the swinging of the giant incensor from one transom window across the people in the pews to the other transom. The pilgrims standing in the pews ducked as it swung low over them from fear it would fall on them.

While standing near the outside of the pew by the aisle I could see the fire within the Boca Fumato as it swung by. One woman went to the floor trying to escape it. Eight men were required to operate the ropes controlling this giant incensor.

We viewed all sides of the Cathedral. Breaking up for lunch, Dodie, A & I lunched in a small café. We sampled local dishes one a fish pastry and the other a concoction of eggs & potatoes served with a piece of bread. Delicious

The afternoon was so pleasant. We viewed more of the old town and then went to the hill known as “the hill of pleasure”. This is the where the Pilgrims would first sight the spires of the Cathedral of Santiago De Compostella. There are massive bronze figures of two pilgrims pointing toward the spires.

Later I went to the El Corte department store. What an experience shopping in another country. Everything is so different, the models the signs, the displays. It was so interesting!

May 17^th

“Oh my Jesus, what a soul inflamed in your love accomplishes.” Life Chap 34

The green hills dotted with white stones & houses pass by our bus. We travel today to Burgos through the hills of northern Spain. Beautiful verdant green valleys pass by & once in a while there are ancient walls, reminders of the Romans. I wonder where the Roman roads are. (Perhaps that is even deep beneath the road we travel on in our fast moving bus.)

This morning before leaving Santiago, we celebrated Mass again in the Chapel of our Lady of the Pillar, (I think that was the name of it)

We are riding along now at about 1:45 toward our lunch stop & then on to Burgos. There is classical music playing in the bus. Most delightful!

May 18^th

“But it seemed to me that I felt the presence of God, as we as, and I strove to recollect myself in His Presence.” Life chapter 22

Today after celebrating Mass in Burgos, we enjoyed touring the cathedral. There were so many fine works of art and statuary that after a couple of hours we are tired of looking at them! How sad! We took a break for coffee and then ate lunch around noon. After lunch we walked through Burgos looking at the shops. It was wonderful drinking chocolate in a small café with Mary and Dodie late in the afternoon before we boarded our bus and headed for Avila.

Thoughts of Burgos

Within a stone church carved by the Masters, a candle burns tonight.

The tiny flame must cast a giant shadow upon the faces of Mother & child.

A Mother is wrapped in ruby robes holding her cherub faced child

And beyond the quiet cathedral, the plano trees are holding hands

As if praying to the Father for mercy on us all.

A SONG OF AVILA

Tonight in Avila, there are five lights dancing in Theresa’s house

Near where she played, near where she prayed.

Five lights, five centuries, what is the difference to her?

It is all one to Theresa now.

We come to pray, we come to play in the house of the Lord.

Theresa come pray with us! Theresa come play with us

In the light, in the love of the Lord.

May 19^th

“May God be blessed forever, He who waited for me so long” JMS prologue

We visited where Theresa’s house was and meditated in a quiet church nearby. The warm sun of Spain soaked into our bones like joy. It seems that every where we go, the bones and various parts of Saint Theresa are displayed in cases in the churches.

May 20^th

^“I gave you My Son, and the Holy Spirit, and this Blessed Virgin, what can you give Me?” Collected Works of St. Theresa. Avila, Incarnation 1/19/1572

Mary’s birthday!!! How I love you, my precious sister! We were privileged to have Mass at the convent of Saint Theresa. Mary read one of the readings and I read the other. We toured the convent and saw typical quarters the nuns had in St. Theresa’s day along with priests vestments made by the nuns during the 16^th and 17^th centuries.

After dinner, which was lovely, Mary and Dodie took a walk along the city walls. I stayed in the hotel because it made me nervous to walk at night in a strange town, even one as peaceful as Avila.

May 21^st

“….I began to understand the truth…” Collected Works Volume one, page 5

We arrived in the town of Madrid. The buildings were so striking after being in the countryside. Our hotel was beautiful. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to do any sightseeing.

After breakfast in the morning, I left the group to take a plane back to the States. I had such a wonderful time and will never forget all the beautiful moments we shared, my Pilgrim Friends!!