June 20, 2024
Embracing the True Spirit of the Camino
This morning was a busy one. When I woke up, I got caught up in my emails and texts and suddenly realized that I was running late. In my rush, I left behind my Camino credential passport, which is a document that pilgrims carry so they can collect stamps along the way as proof that they made the journey.
Without a passport filled with stamps, a pilgrim will not be able to submit their credentials at the end of the pilgrimage to receive an official certificate that verifies that you hiked at least 100 kilometers on one of the Camino trails.
I didn’t realize that I had left it behind until I started hiking and it was too late to go back. I thought to myself “What am I going to do?”
As I explained my dilemma to our guide, Irene, she said she had walked the Camino many times, and only on her first Camino did she actually receive the certificate.
I thought to myself, that may have been OK for her, but I wanted my credential!
The more I walked (it was the longest day of hiking -14 miles) the more I reflected on why that certificate was important to me. As I thought more about it, I felt a sense of relief as I realized that getting the certificate was not the point of the Camino. It made me realize how during my life I have sought validation from outside sources, when the only real validation I need to understand is that God loves me as I am. No additional credentials are necessary.
So as I passed by shops and cafes watching others wait in line to get their passports stamped, I just smiled, said a little prayer of gratitude, and continued my Camino. My lesson today? The journey is truly what matters but equally important is with whom you travel.
On this Camino, I am surrounded by a wonderful array of fellow pilgrims and we continue to enjoy the love and grace of God, which is with each of us every day. And that is enough.
As they say in Galicia, “Buen Camino Peregrino” - The journey is the destination…