The nights this week are very special. The moon is waning and the stars can be seen with extraordinary clarity. Imagine what it is like to walk in the dark, in silence, all together, and raise your eyes to this starry sky. There are no words to describe what you feel; contemplating it like this, it is very easy to turn to the Creator.
Today’s stage, 25 km, left us wanting more. At the pace we’re getting into, any day of less than 30 km seems like a joke… So much so that a few pilgrims ran the last stretch.
Since we arrived so early, we had a long time at the municipal swimming pool, which is amazing: more than 3 metres deep. Some put their lungs to the test by lying on the bottom of the pool; others played torpedoes. A few of the girls made friends with a local lad of about ten who, on finding out about the feat we are attempting, asked them: “Are you walking to Lisbon because you haven’t got a driving licence?”.
The welcome from the parish was on another level. The parish priest, Don Fernando, and his youth group made us a lunch and a dinner where no detail was missing. We tried quite a few delicacies from these parts; the best, without a doubt, were the miguelitos: wonderful puff pastries filled with chocolate and cream.
At Mass, Don Fernando preached to us with great enthusiasm about the Christian’s mission. He spoke to us about not being afraid of the Lord’s call, because the protagonist, the one who takes the initiative in any vocation, whether to marriage or to the priesthood, is not us, but Him. He also encouraged us to let the Church help us, comparing it with the vans that come with us on the pilgrimage: just as we leave our rucksacks in them so we can walk lighter, in the Church we can find support, relief and companionship.
By the way, speaking of the vans: today we emptied them and gave them a thorough tidy, and we got a bit of a fright at what came out of them. The logistics team is super tidy and meticulous, but we pilgrims keep leaving the odd little present in them: a water bottle, a stray shampoo, a swimming costume that needs drying… Anyway, we’ll make an effort to be a bit tidier, and let the party go on.
Late on, after dinner, Michelle blew out candles, because today was her birthday. Then we had a while of chat and songs, among them some old hits like “Tengo un tractor amarillo”, very fitting for these parts. Then we prayed, as usual, and everyone got into their sleeping bag.
Good night, parents!