El Monte de Gozo (The Mountain of Joy) is the spot on a hill overlooking the city of Santiago de Compostela, where, in the distance, the tall towers of the Cathedral are seen for the first time! We enjoyed a long walk today, walking the Camino backwards, and finally found the large statues of two pilgrims who celebrate with joy the soon-to-be end of their long journey.
It felt great to put my boots back on! It felt great to walk! What was especially fun about this was walking toward the groups of pilgrims as they got closer and closer to the city. They were so excited, as were we for THEM! We knew exactly what they were feeling!
But as a priest reminded us in one of our homilies, it’s not as much about the destination as it is about the journey. One might expect that coming to the end brings us closer and closer to God. But in reality, we grew closer and closer to God through our experiences with each other, with anonymous pilgrims from all corners of the world, and with the Spanish people who so lovingly cared for us along the way.
What was this all about? Yes, there is a type of recognition or awareness of all the millions of pilgrims who endured great hardships along their journey. I did think about them from time to time, especially in times of great challenge.
But for me, personally, this was a time to offer thanksgiving for my Catholic faith, to offer up, yes, a bit of difficulty or even suffering for all my special intentions every day. It was an experience of trust in God’s providence and care for us.
We found the last pylon leading in to the city. We watched these pylons all along the way, along with the yellow arrows, to show us the way to go. Here I especially wanted a photo of our little group.
We were a fine little troupe, nicely matched in temperament, and we complemented each other very well!
Thank you, Marsha, for keeping me peaceful when I would get concerned, praying to St. Joseph with me, and yes, getting a little silly with me. I am honored to have shared this experience with you and Mary.
Yes, I am ready to go home and incorporate “Camino” into my life. But I know, and as we heard many, many times along the way, our “Camino” continues. This physical “Camino” ends in Santiago, but our journey will continue after we return home. We are ALL pilgrims, ALL on a great pilgrimage together. We share the same glorious destination. And that is heaven.
(Leaving Santiago)