Santiago Strange

Statue of Santiago Peregrino, detail on Cathedral Exterior

There is a strange feeling in the streets of Santiago.  I was not aware of it yesterday with my excitement and exhaustion.  It is a feeling of uncertainty.

Crowds Gathering Before the Cathedral.

For pilgrims who have been walking for a month, it's strange to have nothing to do.  For others who have walked from place to place, getting a bus or train out of Santiago can be quite daunting.  For people who made friendships along the Camino, the separation can bring much sadness.  And for those returning to the work place, the return can be all too abrupt.

Rocky Made It!
After 500 miles this pooch takes a well deserved rest.

But Santiago is not the goal of the Camino.  It never was!

The goal of the Camino is to appreciate every moment God gives us in life.  The people and places; the challenges and victories.  The Camino is a journey;  that journey is life.  For the pilgrim on the road the goal was not reaching Santiago as much as how, with whom and why we traveled each day.  Now that we have venerated his relics and seen the bottifumero swing above his tomb the journey continues to wherever we go next but hopefully each continues the steps a changed individual.

Richard and John join me for a photo before the cathedral.

There is a strange feeling in the streets of Santiago.  And yet the uncertainty is diluted by the next feet to celebrate their accomplishments and enter the Cathedral.  And as they do others Camino-forth from Santiago to share what they experienced and learned along the Way of St. James.  Just as James first learned in his journeys with He who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Facade of Major Seminary Building, Santiago de Compostela