Good morning! Today we got up more tired than yesterday, but more excited to live that personal encounter with Christ that the bishop spoke to us about yesterday. As always, at 3.00 Father came to wake us up, but many of us needed a slide to get out of our sleeping bags. Everyone has their own way of sleeping: the silkworm; the “I don’t need a sleeping bag”; we also have the opossum style, and there are always the ceiling-watchers, who haven’t managed to sleep a wink. We had a bite to eat and Fr Bernat introduced the theme for the first hour of prayer, while we walk in silence. That gave us the strength to meditate a little, despite being half asleep, and to keep going forward. When we checked the time, it was already time for the stop and we had done 20 km, in just 4 hours! Are we pilgrims or Lightning McQueens? At this rate, the logistics team will have to swap the vans for Ferraris to catch up with us!
The scenery was beautiful: we crossed the whole Ebro Delta among the rice fields. Perhaps a little monotonous towards the end, but very different from what we had seen so far.
The second part was a bit harder and longer: we still had quite a few kilometres to go. Today’s stage was 37 km, not bad at all for this fifth day of walking. Luckily, at the finish there was a swimming pool waiting for anyone who wanted it; others decided to rest for a while. What strength there is in this group: after walking so far, they still have the energy for races in the pool!
Today in Amposta we were welcomed by Adela, the director of Caritas. How wonderful to be welcomed like that: they made everything easy for us. They even lent us a house with bunk beds and mattresses. How well we’ll sleep tonight! What’s more, we picked up another batch of mattresses at Decathlon. The man who served us was a bit gobsmacked: we even asked to take the display one. At that moment he really did think we were completely mad. Adela introduced us to Fr Ramon, parish priest of the parish of the Assumption of Mary. What a beautiful church! The homily at Mass was beautiful; we’ll all remember it. He spoke to us about the hospitality they have in this town, just as Jesus tells us in the Gospel. But he also said that hospitality is lived inwardly: that we have to let Christ come into our hearts and give him everything, let him work within us. He also spoke to us about how demanding God is, that He is very jealous and asks everything of us. How much we have to learn from the hospitality of these people in Amposta, and may we live it in our own lives too: that is what Fr Ramon told us.
Referring to the second reading, he explained the importance of baptism and that during these days of pilgrimage we give great thanks to God because He has rescued us and we can be in communion with Him. He encouraged us to meditate on our baptism and what it means for our lives: being children of God.
Finally, he told us how we are that green shoot of the Church that is so badly needed. That nowadays the villages are going through more of a drought of parishioners, but that seeing these green shoots of youth gives the villages hope, and that when they grow, the faith that was there in the past will return. But that we have to be very firm in the faith!
We also had a time of adoration in which Fr Bernat preached to us about Moses: how one can let God work in oneself. May God truly dwell in my life. To stop being so much me and be more Christ. Above all, to thank him for his presence in the Eucharist, to thank him for being able to receive him every day and for having the sacrament of forgiveness.
After Mass, since the pace is intense, the decision was made: a glass of milk and off to bed. To catch up on sleep and recover from the tiredness. 8 or 9 hours of sleep is what we all need. So, parents, good night. We’re going to bed at 7 p.m., and tomorrow, on to the next stage: next stop Vinaròs!