BARCELONA – EL PILAR (320 KM) – 20 TO 31 JULY 2021
Every pilgrimage means giving up any kind of comfort. Or at least that’s what I learned on the way to El Pilar. It means giving up everything we are used to and that we often even take for granted. A good bed with its pillow, a long hot shower or even the sheer pleasure of a hearty meal. And who would have thought that, even so, going on pilgrimage is far more fruitful than any of those great moments, because it is a direct encounter with Him and in Him.
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.
The same thing happens every morning, at three or four, when we wake up to go walking. We know a hard day lies ahead and, even so, we pack up our things as quickly and lightly as we can, offering every act for all those we left behind at the start of the journey.
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.
At the same time, our capacity for wonder as we walked was surprising. Everything ordinary took on that supernatural tone of the One who Can Do All Things. We set off in silence, offering our whole day and our tiredness, to see the light of dawn and contemplate it. Every patch of shade along the way was a new gift among the kilometres still to go, and our spirits recovered with songs and all sorts of games.
What surprised us most was reaching El Pilar. That feeling of now what? Wanting to keep on walking, however much our feet hurt or however much we longed for a bed. True, afterwards we were tempted to compete to see who had clocked up the most hours of sleep! But, at the end of the day, all that was trivial, knowing the great effort and the reward we had taken home after twelve days: contemplating Our Lady of the Pillar surrounded by our songs and our joy.
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.
