El Pilar 2021

How they lived it

• “And through tears, hard as it is to believe, every little step became easier.”

  Going on pilgrimage means giving up yourself to serve others. It means seeing the risen Christ in the weakness and pain of others. It is seeing, listening and feeling with the eyes of God himself. Through Him and for Him, setting aside any kind of selfishness. And when your body decides it can’t go on, your mind will shout: You can always take one more step. Lord, Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.

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  We walked with the uncertainty of not knowing what was happening in Barcelona, without knowing what we would find when we reached El Pilar, but trusting that everything was part of God’s plan. And through tears, hard as it is to believe, every little step became easier.

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  But that pilgrimage didn’t end at El Pilar. Each of us still carries what we learned and the lessons it taught us to this day. Work isn’t so heavy any more if we remember those days of walking 40 km. Or getting at least eight hours’ sleep isn’t as important as it used to be.

  Now, every day is a new start to the pilgrimage. Complaints are pointless now, and so are laments. Because, as I said, everything is now through Him and for Him. And with Him life is much more beautiful.

• “Our Lady was waiting for us there with her arms wide open!”

  They were 12 very intense days… of enormous tiredness. Even so, it helped me strengthen my relationship with God and learn not to complain so much. I remember I got a really big blister on my foot and one of my friends kept trying to make me laugh so that I wouldn’t complain so much. I’ll never forget that afternoon!

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  We left Barcelona and passed through Terrassa and Montserrat, where we were able to see the Moreneta. […] We also passed through Jorba, Cervera, Palau d’Anglesola, Lleida, Fraga, Candasnos, Bujaraloz and Pina de Ebro; in the last stages we walked through Los Monegros, the great Aragonese desert. It’s worth pointing out that it was very hot and that, from talking so much, we ran out of water. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a glass of water as eagerly as the one they offered me in Candasnos! The last two stages were Fuentes de Ebro and ZARAGOZA: Our Lady was waiting for us there with her arms wide open!

  I want to stress that in each and every place we passed through they treated us in the best possible way; that’s why we are so grateful…

• “It’s an experience that leaves its mark, one you enjoy even when it’s hard”

  Although the preparation for this expedition began practically 9 months before we started walking (fundraising with tortells de Reis for Epiphany, Easter mona cakes, Sant Jordi roses and Sant Joan cocas, as well as planning the route and finding places to sleep), all these efforts culminated in being able to start walking on 20 July 2021. I think that day we all had the same idea in our heads: “there’s no turning back now: next stop, the Pilar”.

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  It was spectacular to see the unity there was, and still is, in this parish, how despite the tiredness everyone worked and helped however they could. What I enjoyed most was being able to walk alongside so many young people who were so cheerful and happy, who weren’t afraid to do whatever it took to spread that joy.

  It’s a unique experience, which I would recommend to anyone willing to make sacrifices, because it never leaves anyone indifferent. And it’s not only reaching the destination that makes an impact, but the whole journey: from the preparation beforehand and walking alongside so many people to, above all, the days that follow, when you get home and discover how little it costs to lay the table, to obey the first time or to pray every day. It’s an experience that leaves its mark, one you enjoy even when it’s hard, from which you always come out better and, though it may seem contradictory, recharged with energy and enthusiasm.