Santiago in the Rearview

Most pilgrims finish their Camino in Santiago standing before the Grand Cathedral having reached their goal. But for some, there's still an itch, a quiet urge to go further, to keep walking beyond the city walls, past the crowds all the way to Phoenix, once thought to be the very end of the earth. After all, if you've walked this far, why not a little bit more? And yet, what we often discover out there on that extra stretch of road is something surprising. As Scott Russell Sanders puts it, Pilgrim's often journey to the ends of the earth in search of holy ground, only to find they never walked on anything else or to borrow from the rolling Stones. You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you might just get what you need. It reminds me of two disciples walking home from their own pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Their hopes had been crushed. Jesus, their teacher was dead. But as they walked, Jesus quietly joined them unrecognized. It was only later over a meal when he broke the bread that their eyes were opened. They realized that he had been with them all along. Didn't our hearts burn within us? They asked. So whether your feet carry you to Santiago, to Fina, or back to home, know this Christ walks with you, often unnoticed, always present. And perhaps what you truly needed wasn't at the end, but beside you the whole time. May your journey be filled with grace and revelation as you walk the path of faith. May your hearts burn with the truth of Christ's presence, and may you recognize him as the bread of life. May your pilgrimage deepen your understanding, strengthen your faith, and bring you closer to the risen Lord. Amen.