Day 575 - Experiencing the heart of the Camino...

Sunday is normally a day of reflection for me. This morning I decided to re-read sections of my friend Ermanno Aiello's book, 'Forever a Pilgrim'. Ermanno walked the Camino in 2007 and still lights up whenever he talks to you about his experiences during those few weeks in Spain.

Today I lingered on page 132 of his book where he talks about a very special personal experience.

As an introduction to the piece that really spoke to me, I quote:

'To know something but not to feel it are two totally different things. To know what hunger is is not the same as to feel what hunger is, or to know what poverty is but to never have known poverty is not the same.

I knew that I had to love God with my whole heart, my whole soul, my whole mind, my whole body but had I really known how and with what to feel it?

Had I ever felt the deep, deep burning sensation in my very core which Christ referred to as 'your whole heart' , which is, I realized, much more than that organ but the very centre of my being, where all emotions reside?

This is the very place where, I believe, one's love for God has it's origins. From there this love expands to embrace and fill the entire soul, that wonderful, eternal breath of God within each one of us, which cries out with love for God in its own voice which is unlike any human voice.'

He continues a bit further down the page with the following piece - the part that really fills me with anticipation for the experiences awaiting me on my own journey!

'It was here, in this beautiful place where I had stopped on my camino, that I felt the searing warmth of my love for God for the first time in my life - deep, deep within me.

I could feel my soul, my mind and my body responding to this feeling and I stood there in silence, unable to move. It was here too, that I realized that, no matter how beautiful nature's scenery is, one is only seeing a very small reflection of God. To really see God one has to look for Him in the eyes of one's neighbour who is dying of Aids, or in the eyes of a starving child, or in the eyes of anyone who is suffering but who we, more often than not, purposely avoid seeing.

When I finally did move on it was with an inner peace like I had never felt before. The peace that only Christ can give when we begin to love as we should.'

Wow!

Day 389 - A special encounter.

Even though I've never set foot on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, I have to admit that I've become somewhat of a Camino-junkie. As time passes and my departure date draws nearer, albeit at a snail's pace, I can't help but feel more and more drawn to this journey that awaits me.

Someone like Ermanno Aiello certainly  fuels the fire. He took to the road in Spain in April and May 2007 at the age of 69. Meeting him a few weeks ago was a very special occasion for me and if I was wondering if I was expecting too much from the journey I'm planning, he certainly confirmed to me that I am in for the walk of my life!

When Ermanno returned from his camino, he was persuaded by many of his friends and family members to put it all down on paper and he decided to write and self-publish his book, titled 'Forever a Pilgrim'.

I was fortunate enough to buy the last copy of his current print. This book has since become one of my most prized possessions and I treasure the lovely message that he wrote in there for me - sending me on my own camino armed with blessings from a deeply religious pilgrim!

Ermanno has given me permission to quote from his book and I would like to share with you some of his experiences in the next few weeks.

For those of you who are new to the blog and not quite familiar with the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage - click on the link at the top right hand side of this page titled ' History of the Camino...'. This summary will give you an idea of what it's all about. Even though the Camino was started by the Catholic church, it is certainly not only Catholics who walk it today. In fact, some people simply walk it as a hike of sorts but it seems to me that the majority of pilgrims actually do it for reasons much deeper than just that.

Personally, I have walked a much more focused road with the Lord these past three years and I am experiencing a very strong calling to this pilgrimage. Something about leaving all the luxuries of the world behind and just walking for miles and miles, with the freedom to devote hours to the Lord in contemplation, seems like a gift too great to pass by!

Ermanno the pilgrim - can that smile be any broader?

To start off, here is a quote from the book - this piece illustrates one of the gifts of the Camino - silence of a different kind.

' In wild and beautiful Galicia with its magnificent forests, mountains,countless streams, farms and fickle weather I experienced a different type of silence. The weather kept reminding me that, like life,there is no permanent silence and that if I needed silence I would have to create it within myself. Amazingly so, I managed this very well - eventually being able to find the silence (and with it the much needed solitude) that I craved for at will.'

 ' This silence and solitude led me to deeper and deeper introspection. The analysis of my life up to then, with all its good and bad times, my periods of moving away from my faith and the subsequent return to it, the successes and failures of my career, the value of my loved ones, especially my wife Lia, led me to the realization that my life had always been and always will be for a purpose only known to God. I do not need to know that purpose - that will be revealed to me when I am finally with Him - all I need to know is that I am of value to Him as I am and that I will do my utmost to fulfil whatever purpose He still has for me. This knowledge filled me with such peace.'

Since I made the decision to walk the Camino, countless people who are somehow connected to it have crossed my path. Each and every one of them has added value to my life. Sitting down for coffee with someone like Ermanno Aiello, a man who rejoices in his relationship with his creator, is very special. When you're in the presence of someone who loves and adores the Lord, the feeling is tangible. You can't mistake the warmth, the joy and the peace that fills that person. I felt all of this from the first minute I met this man and praise God for sending people to guide me along this road. A road that I am so happy to be on!

And thank you Ermanno. Thank you for being obedient. Thank you for sharing your beliefs, your experiences (good and bad!) and most of all, for proclaiming everything that the Lord God has done for you!

For those of us, like me, who are in our infant stages as Christians, your guidance is a blessing beyond words!

Day 221 - Yet another Camino gift.

Today I received yet another Camino gift. Coffee with a pilgrim.

And affirmation in abundance (yet again!), that the call of the Camino is something to be taken note of.

Ermanno Aiello walked his camino in April and May of 2007. Today, four years after the experience, he is still overwhelmed by emotion when he recalls some of the truly special moments he had during those weeks in Spain.

I feel truly blessed by these encounters that I have with people who have answered the call of the Camino and so graciously share their experiences and emotions. Ermanno wrote a book about his journey, entitled 'Forever a Pilgrim' and I finally got my own copy from him today.

He has very kindly allowed me to quote from his book, just like Tony Kevin did and I can't wait to share bits and pieces with you in the weeks to come.

Together with Jeremiah's journal, Ermanno and Tony's recollections and the updates I'm receiving from friends on the Camino right now, I almost feel as if I'm already there myself!

For now, I'd like to leave you with the prayer Ermanno shared with me today - it really is one of the most beautiful prayers I've ever heard and so representative of what I hope to bring home from my own camino.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen