It's the night before my journey begins. I attended the pilgrim mass at The Royal Collegiate Church of Santa Maria in the evening. They've been doing this for something like eight hundred years. I got there early enough to sit a while before it started, and take it all in.
At the end of mass, the priest asked pilgrims to come forward for a blessing. Nearly all in attendance walked to the altar.
The blessing is an old one. It asks God to be the companion on the journey, the guide at the crossroads, the shade in the heat and the shelter in the rain — and to bring us home again, safe and better than we left. He gave it in Spanish and English.
I have been thinking about this moment for a long time, as it marks the beginning of the pilgrimage. The lights in the church went out. All that was left were the candles illuminating the altar. It absolutely took my breath away. Standing there, I had a list of names in my pocket along with the prayer requests people have been sending through the site. That was the whole of what I brought to the altar. But what I left with was a blessing and a sense of peace.
I'm ready now!
