40 Days to Santiago — Day 25
Astorga to Rabanal del Camino
Anne and I start preparing to leave the albergue this morning in a cloud of anxious energy. Still unsure exactly where near Astorga the American woman disappeared while walking the Camino, we continue this stage of the pilgrimage with extreme caution, and had made plans to meet with a few of the other pilgrims in the small group we’ve formed at the edge of town. Unfortunately, we arrive at the gas station on the outskirts of the city in the early morning darkness to realize the group had already left without us.
We decide to continue on, but we are on high alert, but begin to relax as the sun rises. As we walk further from the city, reaching a hermitage and historic well, we turn around to glimpse a stunning view of Astorga and its cathedral silhouetted against the glowing morning sky.
It doesn’t take long to catch up to the group, and as we walk together, we take note of side paths and deceptive arrows. These distracting arrows are often used to entice pilgrims on a side road where a cafe or albergue owner is hoping to get some of the business others are getting on the main road. They are mostly harmless annoyances, but around here, we couldn’t help but speculate about which one tragically led Denise off this relatively safe road. Our somber mood is periodically interrupted by the standard comforts found during the day — pastries at a neighborhood bakery, resting for a beer at outdoor tables and watching stray dogs — and in one place, goats — and peering in historic buildings.
We finally reach our destination — Rabanal — a small village that is home to a Benedictine community. Ann and I have chosen a hostel next to the church called Refugio Gaucelmo. A terrace and balcony outside our room overlooks an expansive yard filled with fruit trees. There is a full kitchen and a cozy lounge and library where we can read, chat, and write in our journals. The friendly, caring, and funny hospitaleros are some of the best we have had on the whole Camino. One of them, Antonio (from Madrid) had been working tirelessly while volunteering to speak English, and is ecstatic that we are able to speak Spanish.
Later in the evening, though we missed the pilgrim Mass, we join the Benedictines for evening prayer and a blessing. Having been so long since I have participated in Liturgy of the Hours, it is a huge comfort for me at this point in the Camino. Within the Church, there is a striking crucifix on which Jesus looks down at the wound on his side, almost with love. It is especially meaningful to me because of the devotion I developed to St. Longinus on my last pilgrimage, to Rome and Lourdes.
St. Longinus is traditionally known as the Roman centurion who thrust his spear into Jesus’ side to be sure that he was dead before taking him down from the cross before the Sabbath. In that moment — in the very act of “doing away with” Jesus once and for all — his eyes were opened and he believed. It is a constant reminder that none of us is completely lost…that God can reach us even in our worst moments or our last moments.
Reflection
- What is a moment in your life that you consider one of your “worst” moments? Invite God into that moment today and ask him to help you transform it into an experience that brings you closer to him and his mercy.
