Santiago de Compostela

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23

It is over with. We no longer have to walk. And it´s difficult to stop.

With incredible joy we approached Santiago yesterday, but not without a tight heart. This is it, Monte de Gozo has announced our arrival, we see the city of the End of the Earth. Fortunately we prepared ourselves in Lavacolla, in the creek, where pilgrims throughout the ages have bathed before entering Saint James´sanctuary. As we took our time to bathe, to wash the clothes we had worn on our backs during the entire pilgrimage, our minds had trouble understanding that only 10 kms separated us from our goal. We passed the modern outskirts and entered the old city, without having seen the cathedral yet when finally we arrived at the Puerta do Camiño. There, as we came into the old city, our eyes saw the towers of our goal. Impossible! We walked all the way here from a far away land, through many cultures and countries. We pulled out from our pockets the volcanic stones we picked up in Le Puy en Velay and set them down in Santiago.

In awe, we sat on the Plaza del Obradoiro facing Saint James´Cathedral. Crushed beneath its massive facade, our bodies lost all strength to go in until we felt ready to go see inside, where pilgrims have since long ago put their hands on the first pillar inside; this pillar holds up two arches that present the entire genealogy of Christ, the Tree of Jesse. We hugged Saint James and sat before his tomb in the crypt, hardly believing we had walked all those kilometers to be in that small room together.

Now, we rest and contemplate on everything behind us and before us, acknowledging that this pilgrimage has been one of the most intense and powerful moments of our lives. Our faith has grown, and we have changed. It is quite hard to write, even vaguely, what we are living now. We sat this morning with masses of people at the High Mass in the cathedral this morning, and as we sat there among many other pilgrims, the priest read out where every pilgrim had come from. When "De Le Puy en Velay: 2 peregrinos" echoed in the Church, a rush of joy filled us, but when the list went on such as " De Tours: 1 peregrino" "De Oviedo, de Irun, de Pamplona, de Munich, de Roma, de Paris, etc..." silence grew more and more over the crouds and only the cries of some pilgrims could be heard around us. What a moment! Europe has gathered here, and we are all sitting here together, all from different places, and though some have walked more than others, a deep sense of humility and respect for one another could be sensed.

Our feet still hurt, we want to walk but our minds and bodies know it´s over with... what is to come next? We don´t know, but life is a lot less scary now for we know we are worth more than birds in God´s eyes, and that He will never forsake us and will always provide along this other pilgrimage we have started some 26/27 years ago. Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers. You guys were with us along the entire way!

Tonight we celebrate!