The lights go on in the sports hall where we slept, a few claps and, come on, everyone up. It’s 3 in the morning again; thanks to the mattresses, all the pilgrims are better rested: some are already smiling in the small hours.
After Father’s short reflection we started walking. Today he encouraged us to really take care of this hour of prayer! And not to let it be the hour of silence or the hour of sleepiness, but a moment to be with the Lord, walking with Him.
We reached the town of Chiva at 7.30: the group’s pace is now that of a locomotive. The average is between 5.5 and 6.8 km/h. It looks like a race-walking event. But it is lovely to see how the whole group stays more and more united. There’s no gap between the first and the last.
As we arrived in the town, with the sun rising behind us, the parish priest, Don Carlos, was waiting for us: we called him and he opened the church door for us. We were all amazed at how beautiful it was. So well looked after, so clean, and such spectacular paintings! When we finished the spiritual reading, the parish priest wanted to explain the paintings to us. We were all blown away: so well explained! Everything referred to St John the Baptist, who points to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And all the paintings look towards this lamb. Some figures even have their gaze fixed on the sacred host of the Eucharist and on the Scriptures, because those are the two places where we find the Lamb of God that St John points to.
We said goodbye and, once again, set off walking, at a determined pace towards Buñol. The arrival was epic: the sun beat down hard from the moment it came up. Ana Salvador, Miquel Bes, Antonio and a few others ran the last few metres to drink water and eat sweets. When the whole pack had arrived, Father gave us time to go to a swimming pool and, for the bravest, to some natural pools in the river. We have now left the sea behind and are heading inland. Lakes, reservoirs and rivers: that is what awaits us now.
Andreu and the pool team even made friends, chatting about video games and random stuff: a good long rest. The river pool lot also made friends, telling them about the pilgrimage to Lisbon, which they couldn’t believe. Lunchtime was one of the best moments. Next to the sports hall where we’re sleeping, where Javi looked after us brilliantly, there is a big lawn and some pines and palm trees that give good shade. It was 32 degrees, but in the shade there was a very pleasant breeze. We all had a very pleasant chat after lunch (if you can call it that), talking about how the day had gone, the walk, the pool and the river pools.
Although it was lovely in the shade, it was time to move for the second stage of the day: we had to go to the church, which was at the other end of the town, and uphill. We went from Tabor to the Ascension. At the parish Don Enrique was already waiting for us, keen to meet us. He was a bit blown away, but he loved this pilgrimage. He preached a great homily for us, reminding us that God wants a personal encounter with each one of us. That he has a promise for us, that of his true love, but that it is up to us to know how to welcome that love and live it in our everyday lives.
Father picked up the thread of the meditation from what had been said: that we have to know how to welcome everything in our lives. And on this pilgrimage you can see that very clearly. That’s why he encouraged us all to get to know each other, to walk with the people we haven’t talked to so much. To put love into it right now, with tomorrow in mind.
We ended the day with a great sunset. A dinner of gazpacho, Spanish omelette and ice creams: something cool, because the night will be hot. Luckily we have the enormous fans we brought from Barcelona. The whole sports centre where we’re sleeping is more like an aeroplane turbine.
We commend you all to God with our prayer and our aching feet! Good night, parents; we’ll tell you more tomorrow!