Happy Sunday! Y’all - today was incredible! Yesterday I walked 6.6 miles and found myself in the early afternoon facing a steady uphill climb and long steep descent all in the heat of the day. Taking into account the conversation I had earlier in day with an Irish couple about being sure to enjoy the Camino, I decided to stop for the night. I got to rest and wash my clothes with a machine! I had time to go sit outside the church in town to do a Holy Hour and was delighted to be able to get in the church for a few minutes when someone came to fix the flowers on the altar. Most of the churches here are closed during the day, which makes me sad but also shows me how fortunate we are in LA to be able have our churches open most of the day. So, good people, take advantage of that gift and visit Our Lord in the tabernacle at your church or chapel!

That was the preface to the best day I’ve had on the Camino thus far. I woke up before dark and hit the trail about 6:45am. I climbed up the incline in time to see some of the sunrise and came across the other side and was at the bottom of the steep incline by 8:30. I felt like the king of the world! It was amplified by the fact that it was about 60 degrees and windy. There was nobody around for a long way, so I decided to sing a bit. I sang a few of my favorite hymns to the Lord because of the beauty of the day. Then I made up a song in Spanish about getting a croissant, coffee, and coke in the next town. Then somehow I started singing ‘Do You Know the Muffin Man?’ in the style of Static-X (a metal band). Thankfully I was brought back to sanity by the delicious breakfast at the town ahead, where I met a woman from Minnesota and had a great little conversation over our little meal; it’s so nice to have a normal conversation in my own language!

I stopped at a church earlier today and saw the Traditional Latin Mass altar cards and asked if I could celebrate a Mass on that altar but the sacristan was adamant that I could wait 2 hours and concelebrate Mass later or I could try another church. That was a bit disheartening, but I continued on to the next town. I made my way to a church in the town that the Lord seemed to draw me toward and inquired about offering Mass and the sacristan happily obliged. I was able to offer a quiet private Mass on a beautiful side altar of Our Lady, much to my delight. It was a small fulfillment of something I read yesterday from Fr. Emile Neubert’s book ‘Mary and the Priestly Ministry’ about Our Lady’s special love for priests. Indeed, my heavenly Mother loves me dearly.

As I continued on after Mass and a lunch break, I made my way through vineyards and some beautiful fields. A wall of purple & gold wild flowers along the path made me think ‘Geaux Tigers!’ and brought a smile to my face. A few texts from family and friends brought my heart even closer to home and filled me with gratitude for the many blessings back home that I FAR too often take for granted.

As I sit in this random albergue (hostel) in Spain listening to some American classic rock radio station after walking 14 miles, I just met a pleasant lady from Canada living in the States who invited me to join her group for a game of cards. It’s a very strange journey I’m on, but I know it is full of the Lord’s grace and I am grateful to be on it for whatever reasons He has brought me here.

St. James, pray for us!