Back in
2003, I hiked the pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela with
a dear friend of mine. I heard of the
Camino from some good friends who are Spanish teachers in Maine. They had never been on the Camino themselves,
but they had spent a considerable amount of time in Spain, and thought that
since I was a very devout Catholic, the Camino would be something I would very
much enjoy. That year, about 80,000
pilgrims made it to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Fast forward to 2015 – I went on the Camino
for the third time in January/February of this year for three weeks. And this year, excluding the month of
December, there have already been more than 260,000 pilgrims arriving in
Santiago. We hear about so many people
abandoning Christianity or mocking organized religion, but then we see such
interest and enthusiasm in an ancient pilgrimage dedicated to St James the
Greater, one of Jesus apostles. I certainly a dedicated pilgrim – I will be
hiking the Camino for the fourth time in January 2016. As we continue on our Advent journey,
Catholic devotions such as pilgrimage call out to us to engage us in our faith,
to encourage us on our journey. May we
always find new ways to follow Jesus on our journey of discipleship.
