28 Vega del Valcarce to Fonfria - 15 miles

 Up. 

There’s really no other word to describe today’s walk other than “up.” Most of the day was going upwards, gaining about 2300 feet in altitude. But, the climb was well worth it because of the views that it gave us.

(Keep reading for more pictures of the landscape.)

The walk also took us to O Cebreiro which is a popular village as it is near the top of today’s climb. There’s a beautiful little church there known for a Eucharistic Miracle. 

There, I learned that St. Francis of Assisi walked the Camino in 1214. 

We ended our dayin the village of Fonfria where we enjoyed a communal pilgrims dinner. 

Now, I’d like to share a bit of an experience/reflection that I had. 

As a religious and a priest, the Liturgy of the Hours (a monastic form of prayer) is a part of my prayer life each day. On the Camino, because I don’t want to have my head in a book or my smartphone, I sometimes pray my own version of the Liturgy of the Hours. That is, I use the same format, but I use my own words, composing psalms that are a combination of the psalms we pray each day and those that are in my heart in the moment. I find that it is a creative form of prayer that is especially helpful when walking.

Today, I did this form of prayer. When it came time for the scripture reading (I usually bring to mind a well-known passage from the Bible) nothing was really coming to me. It was in that moment that I looked at the beautiful view in front of me and realized that was the scripture I was meant to reflect on. 

It was the revelation of God given to me in that moment.  Gods revelation that is “alive and active…penetrating the heart.” It spoke to me of God’s goodness and beauty, of God’s providence and generosity, of the wonder and awe we experience when we come face-to-face with God, of the mountain of God spoken of by the prophets where we will see God face-to-face for it is the dwelling place of God. 

I remember years ago when I was hiking a small portion the Appalachian Trail in the Smoky Mountains with the Scouts, one of the leaders, Mike, saying that if someone doesn’t believe in God and they’ve never been in his creation, in the mountains that are God’s handiwork, immersed in the beauty of the creation of God. 

Today, God spoke to me in creation, in the mountains, in the beauty that surrounds us each day.  In the cool breeze on my face. In the chirping of the birds. In the colors and fragrance of the flowers. In the blueness of the sky and the puffiness of the clouds. In the animals dotting the hillside. In each exhausted breath that goes in and out. In every step that we take on our pilgrimages that brings us closer to our final destination.  

In the mountains of the Camino, I think I glimpsed a bit of God. I hope you, too, can see God in the beauty of creation that surrounds us each day. 

Buen Camino!