{"id":84064,"date":"2014-05-03T07:50:46","date_gmt":"2014-05-03T14:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-the-way\/"},"modified":"2017-04-08T13:08:33","modified_gmt":"2017-04-08T20:08:33","slug":"one-year-ago-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"One Year Ago: the Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nT<\/span>he way that can be walked
\nis not the eternal Way. <\/p>\n

(Lao Tsu)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Santiago de Compostela
\nFeast of Saints Philip and James<\/p>\n

That last day was busy. After breakfast, we caught a taxi to the bus station to secure our tickets for Madrid. We spent some hours in and around the Cathedral. Then a little shopping. Confession, and then noon pilgrim’s Mass at the Cathedral. Second breakfasts and lunches and drinks with many old friends. The bus to Madrid left at at 9pm.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Cathedral in the early morning light<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9404443492_438192da12_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9404440988_0000ab3d24_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The High Altar<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Catedral<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Catedral<\/a><\/p>\n

\"13909569507_36fdebb011_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"14096651514_b641a3b8ca_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"14096203205_96d29f7238_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lana,<\/a><\/p>\n

Lana, David, Radek<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9404359952_722cf1cd8b_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401596365_f0668e726a_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"One<\/a><\/p>\n

One of many, many side altars in the Cathedral. Walking through them is like taking a history of art and architecture course, as each one seems to be from a different century.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9404242244_1cd60b0030_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401468729_d6f3b51005_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9404224066_9eba855e12_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9404213138_f577da1fd1_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401449811_185950451c_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401447681_20bb6a502e_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9404201740_451a7ded18_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401439043_fdce9b1f6f_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401437809_9de5d554fe_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9404181244_ae5f017583_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401416857_2084b4bc89_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401410927_00b2121dc6_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9404166172_08a79a96c2_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Apostle’s Crypt<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"View<\/a><\/p>\n

View from the Cathedral’s portico<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9404152242_70f1deb067_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Me,<\/a><\/p>\n

Me, Carlos, Charlie, Eamon – reunited!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9401380725_a07d083f05_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"9401343571_e2b82a5f77_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"14073113746_d1804f4ca2_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Santiago<\/a><\/p>\n

Santiago and Francine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Viola\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Viola<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"14093003331_8295f45e03_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

God’s communications with us humans are often subtle. As the Prophet Elijah discovered, the Voice of God is often to be found in the whispering wind (1 Kings 19:11-13).<\/p>\n

Sometimes, however, God reaches out and whacks us upside the head, either physically or mentally.<\/p>\n

Often times, I tell people of points in my life where God spoke to me in one way or another, and the immediate reaction from them is doubt. They suspect embellishment or coincidence. Or in one memorable case, hallucination.<\/p>\n

Don’t get me wrong; a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing by and large, but at some point you veer off from skepticism and right into making excuses for your disbelief.<\/p>\n

I’m as guilty of that as anyone. Some days I can hear God on the whispering wind; some days I need a whack upside the head.<\/p>\n

The object of the Camino is the tomb of the Apostle Saint James the Greater in the Cathedral dedicated to him in the city named after him, Santiago.<\/p>\n

Everybody walks the Way for different reasons. I walked with Christians, with Atheists, with those seeking wisdom or answers or direction, and with those just out for a nice long hike.<\/p>\n

At different points of the Way, I suppose everybody finds some answers, but these inevitably lead to more questions. At least for me.<\/p>\n

I had prayer intentions for the pilgrimage, but mostly I was there seeking a certain spiritual clarity that typically eludes me in the bustle and busyness of the modern working world.<\/p>\n

By the time we got to the end, I had learned quite a bit, and I’m still unpacking the experience. I remember sitting in the crypt, kneeling in front of the tomb of Saint James the Apostle and asking, “now what?”<\/p>\n

The pilgrimage was over, the Way was walked. What now? I had finished the Way, and I was already missing it.<\/p>\n

Apparently, God decided that He wasn’t going to be subtle this time.<\/p>\n

We went to the Pilgrims’ Mass at the Cathedral. This is the feast of two more Apostles, Saints Philip and James the Less. The Gospel reading<\/a> for this Mass is from the fourteenth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel. It begins:<\/p>\n

\n

Jesus said to Thomas, I am the way and the truth and the life.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sure, you say, “that’s just a coincidence, the reading mentioning ‘Thomas’ and ‘Way’ on the day you just happen to end your pilgrimage, Thom”.<\/p>\n

\"Cross<\/a>Right.<\/p>\n

I may be a little thick, but I know the Voice of God when I hear it. Usually.<\/p>\n

The Way isn’t done – the Way continues forever. The Way isn’t just a walk, the Way is Christ<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Now that I’ve finished the Way to Santiago, my call is to continue walking with Christ, the Way and the Truth and the Life.<\/p>\n

\n

So, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

(Colossians 2:6-7)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Goodbye for now! We will return to the Camino.<\/p>\n

\"Last<\/a><\/p>\n

Photos from day 32<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I also used some of Francine’s photos<\/a>, since at some point today I had to recharge my camera.<\/p>\n

\n

The Road goes ever on and on
\nDown from the door where it began.
\nNow far ahead the Road has gone,
\nAnd I must follow, if I can,
\nPursuing it with eager feet,
\nUntil it joins some larger way
\nWhere many paths and errands meet.
\nAnd whither then? I cannot say.<\/p>\n

(J.R.R. Tolkien)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

(Originally posted to Pilgrims on the Way<\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The way that can be walked is not the eternal Way. (Lao Tsu) Santiago de Compostela Feast of Saints Philip and James That last day was busy. After breakfast, we caught a taxi to the bus station to secure our tickets for Madrid. We spent some hours in and around the Cathedral. Then a little shopping. Confession, and then noon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camino"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-lRS","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62995,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/santiago-de-compostela\/","url_meta":{"origin":84064,"position":0},"title":"Santiago de Compostela","author":"Thom","date":"02 May 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Praise God, yesterday at about 3pm, we arrived in Santiago de Compostela. On the way into the city, we kept running into people we knew \u2013 people who had shared some portion of the walk with us \u2013 probably a dozen reunions before we even reached the Cathedral. Entering the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51798,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/snow-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":84064,"position":1},"title":"Snow!","author":"Thom","date":"15 March 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The photo here was taken by a pilgrim yesterday at Roncesvalles. The passes are choked with snow, and at this point people have to walk on the highway to get from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles. And it\u2019s taking them two days. I won\u2019t have that kind of time, and I\u2019m leaving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"1082","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/1082-224x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":83923,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-chickens\/","url_meta":{"origin":84064,"position":2},"title":"One Year Ago: Chickens","author":"Thom","date":"10 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Belorado 10 April After the severe physical trial of yesterday, we were determined to take it easy, starting late and perhaps only going as far as Gra\u00f1\u00f3n or (at the most) Redicilla del Camino, some 11km distant. Before setting out, we explored the Cathedral. Santo Domingo himself\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Waiting to get into the Cathedral shop. What 9:30 actually means is \"some time before ten\".","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8733050580_ed13c8a652_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8733050580_ed13c8a652_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8733050580_ed13c8a652_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8733050580_ed13c8a652_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83959,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-leon-and-francine\/","url_meta":{"origin":84064,"position":3},"title":"One Year Ago: Le\u00f3n and\u2026 Francine!","author":"Thom","date":"19 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Le\u00f3n 19 April In Le\u00f3n after a relatively easy 18km walk, made only slightly more difficult by the fact of walking on sidewalks for much of it. This is a fantastic city! It\u2019s probably my favourite so far \u2013 other than Pamplona of course. Narrow, crooked streets,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"To Le\u00f3n","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9035942205_17094eaef2_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9035942205_17094eaef2_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9035942205_17094eaef2_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/9035942205_17094eaef2_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83933,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/one-year-ago-from-majesty-to-tranquility\/","url_meta":{"origin":84064,"position":4},"title":"One Year Ago: From Majesty to Tranquility","author":"Thom","date":"13 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"(from my journal) Arroyo San Bol 13 April Burgos Cathedral this morning. We spent about two hours wandering around through this \u2013 superlatives fail me \u2013 magnificent? glorious? fantastical? \u2013 Gothic marvel. I was a little disturbed by the decision to turn most of it into a museum, seemingly to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Burgos Cathedral","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8746831485_a685518df1_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8746831485_a685518df1_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8746831485_a685518df1_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/camino\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8746831485_a685518df1_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":87161,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/santiago-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":84064,"position":5},"title":"Santiago!","author":"Thom","date":"02 May 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Praise God in His angels and in His saints! At about 3:00 PM on the Memorial of Saint Athanasius, the second of May 2016, we arrived at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.\u00a0 On the way in we met Anita, who escorted the three of us \u2013 Francine, Rebecca, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Camino"","block_context":{"text":"Camino","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/camino\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84064"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90998,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84064\/revisions\/90998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}