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"The Way": Pilgrimage on a Country Road
Pilgrimage is a nearly universal element of religion. Christians and Jews go to the Holy Land, or to other places associated with sacred events or individuals in history. Devotees of many religions go to sites associated with sacred geography—mountains or rivers or wells. Seventh-day Adventists go on pilgrimage, too, to those shrines we call, “Adventist Heritage sites,” and to sacred convocations such as camp-meetings and General Conference sessions.
For some, pilgrimage is an option, freely undertaken—for others, a sacred obligation, as in the Muslim’s duty to go on the Hajj at least once in a lifetime. For all, pilgrimage is not mere religious sight-seeing, but a transformative experience.
The motives to go on pilgrimage are as varied as the individuals. For some, the change of season is enough—April showers, spring flowers, and “small fowls making melody” prompted Chaucer’s pilgrims to set out for Canterbury. For others, the quest is more profound—to find an answer to anguished prayer, to discover one’s true self, to fulfill a vow made in time of crisis.
Since the eighth century pilgrims have been walking to Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, Spain. Legend says that the body of St. James was brought to Spain some time after his death; the shrine was established in the eighth century, and the Way, or “Camino,” became a major pilgrimage route in the Middle Ages. It followed an old Roman trade route across northern Spain, through the strip of the Iberian Peninsula first liberated from Muslim rule, the Kingdom of Asturias (after 942, León). The pilgrimage, and James himself (under the title, “Matamoros,” or “Moor-slayer”), became symbols of the Reconquista. In 1214, when the present cathedral was three years old, St. Francis of Assisi made the pilgrimage. In 1993, UNESCO named Santiago de Compostela a World Heritage Site. In 2009, 145,877 pilgrims completed the pilgrimage on foot, receiving the “compostela,” or certificate of completion (for additional statistics: http://www.archicompostela.org/Peregrinos/Estadisticas/estadisticas2006.htm)
In Emilio Estévez’ new film, “The Way,” Tom Avery undertakes the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela upon the death of his son, Daniel (who died during a storm in the Pyrenees, having just begun the journey). Tom, an ophthalmologist from Ventura, California, goes to France to retrieve Daniel’s remains, thinking he’ll be gone a week. Once there, he resolves to take a month off and walk the 800 km pilgrimage with Daniel’s ashes, which he spreads along the route.
“The Way” is a family film: Emilio Estévez wrote and directed it (and plays Daniel), cast his father, Martin Sheen (aka Ramón Estévez) as Tom, and dedicated it to his Galician grandfather, Francisco Estévez (d. 1974). Emilio’s brother, Ramón, is executive producer; his sister, Renée, plays Tom’s secretary, Doreen; his son, Taylor, is associate producer.
Estévez filmed it on location along the actual “Way of St. James”—specifically, the Camino Francés, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela. The pilgrim path is a star of the film in its own right, from the Pyrenees, to the sweeping vistas of Galician valleys, to the ancient cathedral of St. James, where the swinging botafumeiro bathes the victorious pilgrims in pungent clouds of sweet incense.
Following Chaucer’s lead, Estévez weaves together strands of various pilgrims’ tales (some of which he has taken from Jack Hitt, Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain). Tom’s primary companions are Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger), a Canadian rebounding from a failed marriage, Joost (Yorick van Wageningen), a Dutchman who says he merely wants to lose weight, and Jack (James Nesbitt), an Irish writer complaining of writer’s block. They pop in and out of Tom’s journey until their journeys meld through sharing their stories with one another, and the four become true friends and companions.
From Tom’s words, and through flashbacks, we learn about his relationship with Daniel, his only child. Tom can’t understand Daniel’s decision to cut short his doctoral studies to travel the world. Daniel invited him to go along, suggesting they make it a father-son trip. But Tom sees this as irresponsible. Daniel pleads, “Don’t judge me. Don’t judge this.” Tom can’t help but judge it. He has worked hard to be where he is today. He can’t understand the life Daniel is choosing. But that’s just the problem, Daniel tells him: “You don’t choose a life, Dad—you live one.”
A phone call on the golf course leads to a hurried trip to France. An emotional scene in the morgue. A late night going through Daniel’s belongings, stuffed in his backpack. The pack is adorned with a scallop shell, the symbol of the pilgrim on the Camino, along with the “Om” symbol of Hinduism, and the “rising sun” flag of the Japanese navy. Within the pack, a photo scrapbook of his travels. Turning these things over in his hands, and in his mind, Tom knows what he must do. He awakens the police captain to tell him he wants the body cremated. “We are leaving in the morning. Both of us.”
“The Way” is a very personal journey. Hours are spent walking, alone with one’s thoughts. And yet part of richness of the pilgrim experience is meeting others along the way, traveling together for short stretches or for days, gathering each evening at refugios to rest, to tell stories, and to celebrate the day’s journey. And the pilgrim experience would be impossible without the warm hospitality of the people in the towns and cities along the way, always on the lookout for pilgrims.
Each person’s journey is different, and those differences can be the source of misunderstanding and conflict (and insight into oneself). When Tom first meets Sarah, she launches into a tirade against everything she thinks he represents. She calls him “Boomer,” and pictures him as a stereo-typical “Baby Boomer,” down to an iPod playing James Taylor. He has no iPod, he tells her—but he does like James Taylor. She smiles and shows her own iPod and cell phone—her tethers to the outside world. The scene shifts to show them continuing down the Camino, with the sound track playing Taylor’s “Country Road.”
“The Way” is a profoundly religious film, steeped in Catholic history and imagery. At the same time it is accessible to Protestants, and even non-believers, because the pilgrimage motif is viscerally human, and thus “catholic” in the broadest sense of the term. Some might call this story “postmodern” for emphasizing individual stories that nonetheless connect with ancient symbols and rites. I guess that would make Geoffrey Chaucer the first postmodern poet.
Visual and verbal metaphors abound, but this is no crude allegory. Instead, “The Way” tells a simple story in a beguiling fashion, subtly pulling us in, transforming us into pilgrims along the way, inviting us to lay our individual stones at the foot of the cross, and leaving us, at the end, at the shores of a mighty, deep ocean.
Take to the highway, won't you lend me your name?
Your way and my way seem to be one and the same, child.
Mamma don't understand it, she wants to know where I've been.
I'd have to be some kind of natural born fool to want to pass that way again,
But I could feel it, Lord, on a country road.
(James Taylor, “Country Road”)
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Bill Cork is pastor of the North Houston and Spring Creek Seventh-day Adventist churches in Texas, and is a chaplain in the Texas Army National Guard.
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Thanks for the thoughtful review, Bill. Looking forward to seeing it even more now.
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"be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good" titus 2:3
I just finished my camino last week, which is why I have not been posting for a few weeks. It was indeed a profound experience. At times very challenging. The internal camino is tied to the physical camino. You experience the the presence of God and the charity of your fellow pilgrims daily. Also you experience suffering: a heavy pack, blisters, rain etc. Finally you reach the Cathedral and the Apostle St. James, my patron saint. It was so moving to have Mass at his tomb. It was one of the best things I have ever done.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but hope to do so soon. I encourage anyone who is interested to do the camino. http://www.americanpilgrims.com/
Congratulations, Fr Jim!
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"be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good" titus 2:3
Thanks for the link, Fr. Jim. I am planning to do the Camino next year. Sounds like you had a wonderful experience.
And thank you for this wonderful film review, Bill.
It is interesting how different minds find relief, challenge, and fulfillment in literature and music.
Novels leave me cold. biography, history, music, poetry, opinions in politics and religion capture my interest. The lively exchange of ideas in good will are meat for the mind and soul. What keeps me coming back to Spectrum is diversity--but with a particular interest in Aage, Ellen, Ron, Jim and Fr. Jim
Now recently Smuts and always David Larsen. Pat Travis is a soul mate--he being far more articulate.
Of course there is John, David, Micheal, that set the stakes right and left. There of course is Herb--a mellow voice.of SDA orthodoxy which is moving further and further to the Right into the O'Reilly Factor.
The editors Alex and Donna offer an open yet critical mind.
An interesting project would be to compare the contributors to the SDA Bible Commentaries to contemporary SDA theologians and Academic Scholars. I knew 13 of the contributors personally
I also knew the prinicipals in the Brinsmead-Ford dust-up. I know contemporaries only by reading and limited correspondence. Alden Thompson stands out.
I am very interested in the outcome of the Ellen White Project. It would be difficult to surpass the analysis of Ron Numbers, Don McAdams, Fred Veltmann. Raymond Cottrell. et al.
My pilgramage has been from a Non-combatant in WWII to a critic of sectarian dogma
I have heros on the left and right. From M. L. Andreasen, Otto Chrstiensen, Raymond Cottrell, Edward Heppenstall, Graham Maxwell, Lynn Wood, Smut van Rooyan, Paul Heubach, Frank Kinittel
Don McAdams, Fred Veltmann, Des Ford, Alden Thompson and a host of others. Outside of Adventism, I find John R.W. Stotts, Phillip Yancey, Fred Craddock, Hans Kung, President Hesburg, and Pope John XXIII oh yes, Tony Compolo.
What enrichment they have contributed to my life. Tom Z.
Rachel, I suggest getting the latest edition of A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino De Santiago (Camino Guides) by John Brierley. He can be a bit new-agey for me, but his descriptions of the route are excellent. Make sure you are in decent shape before you go, the first couple of days are tough. Walk every day and work up to 12 miles/20 kilometers. Get compeed either here or there for blisters, works better then anything else. Good walking shoes or boots that are well broken in are essential, don't stint on that be sure they are comfortable. Wool socks are also best. A sleeping bag liner is better then a sleeping bag and much lighter. Also take a towel and pillow case. A good poncho is an must. Take as little as possible, your pack should not be more then 10 kilos. What you don't have you don't need or can get on the route. Drink plenty of water and take breaks every few kilometers at the cafes. You must walk at least 100 kilometers and get 2 sellos (stamps) in your credential every day in order to qualify for the compostela certificate. You can get the credential from the above link and I suggest that. Carry your backpack and do not use the mochilla service (taxi that carries your bag to next refugio) unless you have no other choice. They consider people who don't carry their pack to be tourists not pilgrims. Galacia is rather wet, so be prepared for rain. May is probably best for a spring camino, but be aware that the busy season begins then. October is very nice in the autumn.
I walked from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela which is about 120 kilometers with a 22 lb pack. Sarria is the place to start if you only have limited time. I did it in about a week which is a bit longer then the book suggests (5 days). But I wanted to stop in places where there was a daily Mass, so I had to adjust. Go your own pace. It's your camino. I lost over 20 lbs and may need to get a new belt lol. For reading again go light. The guide book, a prayer book, and a pocket new testament is sufficient. Take a rosary.
When you get to Santiago go to the pilgrims bureau with your credential and get your compostela. The pilgrims Mass is every day at noon. There are plenty of places to stay in town and hang around for a few days to rest up and enjoy the city. Buen Camino.
Interesting that Emilio and his father have also gone on the road to publicize the movie. They have a van decorated with scenes from the film that they are driving around the country. Road trips can be done in many ways. Tom's road trip through Adventism via its writers is another fascinating trip.
Thanks for the excellent review, Bill. The movie is now in my town. With your words ringing in my ears, it is a must see this weekend.
I just heard about this movie today, so really appreciate the review. It's the sort of thing that appeals to me mentally and emotionally, but at my age, probably not physically, so I will enjoy the movie instead.
The recent AARP magazine has an article about this pilgrimage.
Elaine
Less than a month until I'm able to subscribe. ;-)
I am now reading Jack Hitt, Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain, which was the source of some of the scenes in the movie. "El Ramon," the wacky owner of the refugio Santa Barbara, is here. Also Jack's monologue about metaphor, and "sometimes a dogfight in front of a cheese farm is just a dogfight in front of a cheese farm" (and the story that prompted that line). And an extended discussion of the Song of Roland, and whether it was Arabs or Basques that were responsible.
Excellent review! The movie is on my short list. Will post after I've seen it ...with my 28 y.o. son.
I went with my 22 year old son, and he loved it. Estevez said that in some of the screenings they did, the most postive feedback was from young adults and older adults.
There are three basic ways we try to "repair" our relationship with God: 1) creedal correctness, 2) cultic performance, 3) ethical achievements. We as SDA's rely heavily on the first category. It forms the basis for our claim as "The Remnant."
tg
And the relevance to the Adventist church is what exactly?
@Pagophilus: An open mind? More wonder?
I don't know about the relevance to "the Adventist church," but obviously something of interest to some Adventists. :-)
Are Adventists completely different from the rest of the human race?
Elaine
Pilgrimages are not associated with christianity. They are associated with paganism!
Okay, how did I end up with a -2 on my last post? I was describing how to prepare for the camino. It was a pretty mundane post without anything controversial. I must have an anti-fan club.
LaMoria, really? Jesus went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Was he pagan?
Pilgrimages and hermitages are private experiences sought for many and varied reasons.
One certainly is not positioned to judge the reasons of another. Nor to question their rehearsal of the experience by another.
The problem is the desire to find atonement through either is a theological error. Only Jesus tread those steps alone. To use isolated time to ponder that love brings a peace that passes all understanding.
We take a pilgrimage with Christ not to duplicate Christ. There is salvation in only one incarnation, one sojourn, one Cross, one Resurrection.
The scope and dimensions of that Revelation requires time alone with God. But it also requires to
fulfill His commissin to serve the rest of His children
Christ challenges us with two words: "Come" and "Go" "Come to Me for healing." "Healed go likewise and find your brother."
Tomz
No. Christ did not go on a pilgrimage. Look it up.
Christ IS The Way, The Truth,The Life. He didn't travel The Way. He didn't need to "find" Himself. He is the Door.
LaMoria, so Jesus didn't go to Jerusalem to participate in religious rites? I guess the Bible got it wrong. It is good that you can correct the gospels.
Fr. Jim: don't waste your time. You will not get a rational interaction.
Father Jim I'm going to leave the semantics of pilgrimage to you since most of the travel ads on this webswebsite allude to paganistic fatimas and you are much more familiar than I. What you and I consider "rites" are totally different.
Not nice Brother Rich. You are not setting a good example as a Spectrum representative. Or are you? Ha!
My comment was strictly based on your statements. You have demonstrated this morning a consistent inability to interact via rational argument. It has nothing to do with nice or not nice. It is an assessment. I would encourage you to revisit the things you have written and try to understand why I reach this conclusion.
I guess when you mean "rational" you mean according to your interpretation? If I don't think like an apostate christian and embrace the doctrines and dogmas you do - I must be irrational and not a serious thinker.
Because i believe in the Bible being the inspired Word and don't play along with your compromise...then I must apologise to you and your forum of ex-adventists, catholic priests and apostate pseudo christians.
Spectrum sure can dish out it out and whisper that the Walter Veiths are fooling people.
Why don't you prove to me you haven't based your theology on jesuit principles if its so easy? Nothing on this website represents the purity of doctrine established in the first church.
You can't even mention the bible on here without 50 comments saying the bible isn't inspired but you guys have the rhetoric down real good.
Rich,
You are right, and I second it:
"Fr. Jim: don't waste your time. You will not get a rational interaction."
Probably because you cannot respond. You know its true.
TJG wrote: "There are three basic ways we try to "repair" our relationship with God: 1) creedal correctness,... We as SDA's rely heavily on the first category. It forms the basis for our claim as "The Remnant." "
I guess the SHUT DOOR DOCTRINE, the one EGW "was shown," is certainly part of this "creedal correcteness," right?
LaMoria, Jesus and all Jews made a pilgrimage if they could at Passover to Jerusalem. Also Jerusalem was the only place that there was a temple and that Jews could sacrifice. So they did have pilgrimages. I have been to Fatima and I saw nothing pagan there. But let's play with that for a moment. Early Christians were not vegetarians, but many Adventists are. The Manicheans were pagan and vegetarian. So Adventists must be Manichean pagans! Who knew.
You only seem interested in the Bible when it agrees with you or with Ellen White. In fact she is far more important to your faith then the Bible is. If you really want to understand the Bible then perhaps you should look at the Church that gave it to you in the first place. That would be the Catholic Church that canonized it. Btw, I am not a Jesuit. That is so old school anti-Catholic. Didn't you get the memo? Opus Dei is the new boogeyman.
"Pilgrimages are not associated with christianity. They are associated with paganism!"
Pilgrimage was an essential element of Judaism. The three pilgrimage festivals are Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. The Jewish Bible, the Tanakh, ends with the call to "go up" to Jerusalem (to 'make aliyah,' or pilgrimage, to Jerusalem)--2 Chron 36:23. (See also http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp52.html).
Jesus made the required pilgrimages at various times in his life. The NT is quite clear on this. (And see DA: http://www.whiteestate.org/books/da/da39.html)
The NT says the saints of old were pilgrims (Heb 11:13) and that we are, too (1 Pet 2:11). Ellen White commended Bunyan's, "Pilgrim's Progress" (http://www.whiteestate.org/books/gc/gc14.html), which portrays the Christian pilgrimage in allegorical form.
So, yes, pilgrimages are associated with Biblical faith, Jewish and Christian.
George Tichy wrote: I guess the SHUT DOOR DOCTRINE, the one EGW "was shown," is certainly part of this "creedal correcteness," right?
Answer: Right.
The three basic ways I described above WILL NOT "repair" our relationship with God. They are all built on a false premise. All the creedal correctness, all the cultic performance and all the ethical achievements will not "repair" anything with God or qualify anyone for heaven. Salvation is a free gift, period. Our (SDA) claim as "The Remnant" is based on a false premise --"creedal correctness."
tg
Judaism is not immune to paganism which is quite evident throughout the old and new testament.
I defer to Fr Jim in regards to pilgrimages, jesuits and female deities.
Mrs. White is a prophetess and not to be placed before anything holy.
So ... when God commanded Israel to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem he was requiring paganism ...? And when Jesus participated in it ...?
Thanks for the tips, Fr. Jim! I'm looking at doing the Camino Frances during August and September. I just bought a good 3lb sleeping bag with the camino in mind, and I've settled on an Osprey pack. I plan to bring very little else. I want to make the journey with a dear friend of mine from France, but because of her school, she has to take the first ten days out of September. My plan is to wait somewhere for her along the camino until she can rejoin me. Will that mean we can't get the certificate? Would it be better for us to go September/October instead of August/September? I will be visiting monastic sites around Spain after the pilgrimage. Feel free to email me personally: Rachel.Davies@spectrummagazine.org
When I am referring to paganistic pilgrimages I am refering to it in the sense of a spiritual "journey" or "path" as a means to enlightenment whether it is personal, spiritual or physical. Jesus was complete and did not need to be fulfilled in the sense that buddhists, catholics, muslims, etc look to shrines, meccas or marion apparitions. And no..campmeetings are not pilgrimages because they are truly not necessary for spiritual enrichment.
Jesus IS the TRUTH the WAY the Life. Do you think He needed to travel to Jerusalem? No. The paganistic pilgrimages that all these poor people struggle to complete in their lifetime is unecessary for their spiritual growth. They should look to the One True Source which is Christ Jesus and none other.
Don't even need to step outside your door to find God. He meets you where you are.
I certainly would not be able to tell this is a Seventh-day Adventist website by reading the movie review article and the advertisements published on this page.
And Spectrum gets upset when they are referenced as apostate israel? What....did Revelation change within the past 50 years? Does no one believe in the little horn and the mark of the beast or is that a book just a fable not to be quoted in these forums?
What's laugheable was all of the dialogue for why Veith was profiting from selling his dvds. I guess Spectrum is entitled with their travel ads to fatima...it does make for an interesting dichotomy. Considering Spectrums audience the ads do make sense.
Please don't get mad at me for making an observation. I'm sure Ill get 100 posts telling me to apologize!
I'll do it now. I'm sorry in advance!
"And no..campmeetings are not pilgrimages because they are truly not necessary for spiritual enrichment."
Well, yes they are. Any spiritual journey is a pilgrimage, whether to go to a place (Canaan) or a shrine (the temple in Jerusalem) or to a gathering of God's people (the sacred convocations of Israel) or the spiritual journey that is the pilgrimage of life (as in Pilgrim's Progress, a book highly recommended by EGW). Thus Advent hymns have said, "I'm a pilgrim, and I'm a stranger, I can tarry, I can tarry, but a night." And, yes, Adventists have seen campmeeting and GC as analogous to the pilgrimage festivals of Israel. See, for example, Adventist Heritage (http://archives.llu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/advhert&CISOPTR=1277... pp. 42-43).
"Do you think He needed to travel to Jerusalem? No. "
Well, yes, he did. Because God commanded all Israel to do so. And he was obedient.
He was obedient even unto death but He still did not HAVE to. He had a choice. Must we now travel to Jerusalem? Are you saying God can't meet us where we are? Is our spiritual deveopment contingent upon our physical pilgrimages to places?
Please, don't change the subject. You said pilgrimage is pagan. I noted the Biblical evidence that it was commanded by God in scripture, and was an essential element of the faith of Israel, which Jesus participated in. And yes he had to, as a member of the covenant community, if he was to be obedient to the Father. Please acknowledge the truth of these points, first, before moving to other subjects.
I am not changing the subject. Simply elaborating. Everything Christ did was through free will. Thus the sacrifice. He did not have to do anything but through his sacrifice we too are also given free will. Something old Israel before Christ did not have.
I hope you forgive me if I do not get too indepth whn writing these posts but I am bedridden and have been trying to post on my phone which often makes it difficult for me to review or access prior information or references.
It is not meant to be intentional or personal.
Israel had free will. It could obey or not. Christ submitted himself to the Father. He fulfilled the whole law. Simple point. And pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the major festivals was a key part of it. And Christ was obedient. This is basic.
Yes but it also identifies with old israel and legalism. Something Christ did away with. He did initially go through the passover ritual until He fulfilled it.
So I'm sorry but I don't agree with you that the "pilgrimages" of old are a testament to what is going on now with these pagan pilgrimages. You are the one that is trying to associate paganism to Christ. I don't agree with it. And I stand behind my statement that the pilgrimages [especially in relation to this article on Spectrum] are pagan.
I would suggest you seek to learn before you condemn. Old Israel and Legalism? Were things commanded by God "legalism"? No. Did he do away with something because it was legalism? No. Just because people used things the wrong way does not make them wrong. In the case of Passover and the other pilgrimage festivals, it is clear from Acts that the Christians of Jewish background continued to celebrate them. In the case of Passover, Jesus did nothing to do away with it, but he did transform it.
Santiago is not a pagan pilgrimage. It is a Christian pilgrimage. But there are things about it that attract many unbelievers, just as climbing Mount Everest does.
Are pilgrimages "pagan" because they suggest transformation and journey? Of course not. That's the essence of the pilgrim metaphor that runs through so many Adventist hymns and so many Scriptures. It is a key Christian metaphor adopted by John Bunyan, the Pilgrims of old New England, and, yes, Ellen White.
Is there something phenomenologically the same in how pilgrimages are done by people of all religions. Obviously. That shouldn't need defense.
At the same time, are there differences? Of course. As I mentioned, Christian pilgrimages (including Adventists) tended to be 1) gatherings of people or 2) trips to places associated with events in history. This is in contrast to pagan pilgrimages which tend to be to ahistorical shrines or natural landmarks. Catholic pilgrimages in the Middle Ages often accentuated hardships and suggested that undergoing them could pay the temporal punishment due to sin the forgiveness of which had been obtained through the sacrament of reconciliation, and that by doing one you could obtain indulgences for others. The emphasis on morbid suffering is gone, and pilgrimages are rarely given as penances by confessors (or as legal punishment by the state as sometimes happened in the Middle Ages), but pilgrimages can still be attached to ideas of satisfaction and indulgences for Catholics. They are aspects of "popular piety" that are not part of the official liturgy of the church, and are subject to careful discernment because of the acknowledged possibility of excess (Catechism of the Catholic Church,1674-1676). And yes, it is important to mention that the Protestant Reformation did seriously critique these things, both because as taught then they did have that overtone of "works" and "legalism," and because they thought it better to give money to the Jesus present in the poor than to spend it going to visit places Jesus had once walked.
But in this movie the emphasis is on a father fulfilling a son's last desire, on people forging relationships, on enjoyment of a journey, on the changes that come as we interact with others on the journey of life.
As to the comment that we don't need such things to nurture our spiritual life. That may be true. But are we only to do those bare minimum things that are absolutely necessary to nurturing a spiritual life? Are we only to do those things commanded by Scripture in a universal positive sense? Then we would do like the Church of Christ and get rid of instruments. Fact is, we are all different. Different things help different people. And, most important, we are free. And freedom means if we want to take a long hike, and get to know people, and pray, and learn about history and culture and human nature, we can do so and not feel guilty. And if we can't take a month off work and travel all around the world, we can read a book or watch a movie about those who do (and give thanks that we don't have to get blisters and endure weather to enjoy a good story).
Bill states: "Santiago is not a pagan pilgrimage. It is a Christian pilgrimage. But there are things about it that attract many unbelievers, just as climbing Mount Everest does."
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Hi Bill I appreciate the spirtit of your writing and inquiry with us regarding the spiritual life. I'm not sure who you calling "pagan"? Buddhists? Celts? Australian aborigines? Please don't use this term without explaining what you mean. There is a perjorative meaning that I hope you are not implying....
Pilgrimage to natural phenomena (Uluru, Grand Canyon), human-made edifices (Stonehenge, Ankar Wat), and historical sites (The Haj, Jerusalem, Lourdes)) are in every culture, as signs of the power of religion to organize human experience and offer questions and answers of lasting value. One of the powers of pilgrimage is the human ability, through the power of metaphor, to parallel the pilgrimage to the lives of individuals and communities. We remember our own journey as we participate with others in theirs. We walk, eat, sleep and converse with men and women who are similarly engaged in a reflective and hopeful venture. The differences between us as humans drop away in the face of common questions and experiences and in the presence of a common God.
I was responding to someone else who was using that term in just that pejorative way, as you'll see if you retrace her argument.
Rachel, a sleeping bag liner is sufficient and only weighs one pound, especially in the summer. It also takes up less room. Less is always better. In terms of weather September and October are better. It is less hot and there are fewer pilgrims. You get the certificate for walking at least 100 kilometers, it doesn't matter which 100. Some people interrupt the camino and then come back later to finish. So it shouldn't make a difference. Waiting might be hard though if you don't know exactly where and when you will meet up. You might miss each other. There are many ancient monasteries in Spain. Don't miss Montserrat in Catalonia. St. Ignatius prayed there before he went off to found the Jesuits. The ride up the funicular is alone worth it. I stayed up there overnight and enjoyed the dawn views. Poblet is off the beaten track, but the architecture is wonderful. Many Spanish Kings are buried there. In Santiago there are monasteries. The Benedictines were very kind. Avila is of course famous for the monastery where St. Teresa lived. Toledo is worth visiting. The cathedral is astounding and if you like El Greco you will enjoy the city. Visit the Escorial, the monastery palace of St. Lawrence where the Kings of Spain lived. Zaragoza, of Our Lady of the Pilar fame, is quite nice. And from Madrid you can take the fast train to Cordoba and Seville. I have been there three times and I still have only scratched the surface.
Rachel, you might find this site helpful too. http://peregrinossantiago.es/eng/
And the Confraternity of St. James site in England is very good.
I can honestly say that making the camino was one of the best things I have done in years.
These are the motivations for the camino from the official pilgrims site:
To Proclaim Christ as the only Savior. We live in times when faith is in crisis. It is necessary to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the only mediator and bearer of salvation for all of mankind. Only in him do mankind, history and the cosmos have a definitive positive meaning and can be completely carried out. He is the source of all change.
Renew the Christian lifestyle. The followers of Christ are called upon by God to truly be Saints and live as children of God. It is necessary to be consistent with the compromises of baptism and to not be content with a mediocre Christian way of life lived with a superficial religiosity. A Christian education and the diligent reading of the Word of God are appropriate ways to maintain this lifestyle.
Celebrate the faith. Christians must not only believe, but they must also celebrate the presence of the Lord in the Sacraments, in the liturgy, in prayer and in the existence of each day. Christians, who pray, praise the Lord, recognize his complete sovereignty and accept him with acclaim and devout faith are needed.
To assume the apostolic promise. We should all collaborate in the spreading of the Gospel and in building a better world. In this task the role of laymen is urgent and necessary. Their mission consists of perfecting in the spirit of the Gospel the order of temporary matters, in a way in which its work in this order gives testimony of Christ and is used for the salvation of man.
To be charitable. In a world where there are millions of people that live in conditions below the level of human dignity, Christians should exercise Christian charity. It should be expressed with preferential love for the poor, the welcoming of immigrants, the protection of life, the promoting of a better and more just distribution of material wealth, the preoccupation of the ill and the elderly…
To promote the devotion of the Apostle Saint James. All pilgrims to Santiago should convert themselves into fervent, devout followers of the Apostle and in someone who spreads the word of the Excellencies of the Way and of the pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Apostle and of the Compostelan Jubilee. In many places there exist confraternities of the Apostle, which you could become a member of in order to promote the devotion to the Apostle and the pilgrimage to Santiago. In places where none exist the pilgrim can promote his foundation by contacting his Parish and its Bishopric, as has occurred over the centuries with the pilgrimage to Santiago. There are also associations of “Friends on the Way of Saint James” in which Pilgrims can also collaboratePromover la devoción al Apóstol Santiago.
Volunteer in your Parish. In order to collaborate and actively participate in its organization and activities (Help for the Homeless, Religious Preparation, Social Assistance…)
I made my pilgrimage back in College, from France to Rome to be blessed by IL Papa. During Christmas vacay my buddy and I bundled up in free Dorcas winter clothes, gassed up the Vespa, and planned on winding up thru the Berthoud Pass into Italy...which of course is not possible thru the drifts, even after wrapping the rear wheel with a rope for extra traction.
So we hitched aboard a train to Rome.....the SDA church worrying about us poor Americans let us sleep in the basement....the Pope blessed us Christmas Day, then we bought a guide book, and hiked all over Rome, eventually visiting 3 of the 5 listed places where St Peter was allegedly buried.
now I find there is some purported evidence that I may have gone to the wrong places.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1582585/St-Peter-was-not-the-f...
I believe I've come to the conclusion that "pilgrimages" are actually gimmick travel tours to fleece the faithful,
one wonders how many Moslems know that they are superstitiously schlepping around and around a simple meteorite-in-a-box meaning their pilgrimage may have started out honoring a divine message from the cosmos before becoming the hadj to honor their warrior -caravan driver-prophet..... all to the profit of the organizers of the tours.
http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=17158
One time back in the 60's I hitched thru Guatemala, and visited Chicicastenango up in the mountains on a special pilgrimage day....the faithful Catholic believers in procession marched to the Cathedral, and sacrificed chickens on the steps and bought incense for the Priest to wave around.... presumably getting their sins forgiven. and if that doesn't work, theres always the stone idol off in the woods. http://www.rutahsa.com/chichi.html
strange what people will do when they really believe.
where there's a will and a heavy counterbalance, there's a way.
http://www.wimp.com/mastbridge/
John, Peter was in Rome and he was first Pope. I doubt you trust BBC on most things religious. In Rome his bones are found beneath the altar in St. Peter's Basilica. For a time they were hid in the catacombs. It always interests me in how people frame statements as you do in order to make it appear that we don't know where he is buried. You do the same with what you say you saw in Guatemala. You don't know what you saw. You ASSUME that what was done was some kind of forgiveness rite. I have seen Adventists bow their heads and rest them on the Bible, ah I ASSUME they were praying to a God of ink and paper. Strange what people will do when they worship a book. I ASSUME it is just fleece the faithful. Doesn't look quite as nice when I hold the mirror up does it?
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/peters-roman-residency
I personally think the archaeological evidence for Peter in Rome is compelling. I've been on the Scavi tour, and have seen with my own eyes the progression from first century cemetery with a simple grave in it, to the expansion of that grave into a shrine in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and the scratchings of pilgrims and the leaving of votive offerings, and the building of Christian tombs around it, to the erection of Constantine's shrine above it, and the current St. Peter's above it. There's clear provenance going back 2000 years, and that is impressive. Peter is said in scripture to be in "Babylon," which is code for Rome, as all Protestants agree.
[Now, whether he was "pope"--even Catholic historians are not so clear on the history of the development of the papacy. But clearly one of the things that set Rome apart from the other apostolic sees was that it had the bones of two martyrs, Peter and Paul, who become for Christians the new Romulus and Remus. This, and Rome as the site of the imperial capital, sets Rome apart. With the expulsion of the Jews under Claudius, it becomes a Gentile church; with the persecution of the Jews after 70AD, it becomes a leader in the move to clearly distinguish Judaism from Christianity. Bishops of Rome starting with Clement do show a pastoral concern for other churches, and write to them, but don't demand any special attention be given to their words. The Bishop of Rome wasn't at the earliest councils, including Nicea, and didn't have a special role in confirming it--the Emperor had a far more important role. It isn't until Leo that anyone connects Petrine promises to a special role for the Bishop of Rome. Leo, though, clearly takes a role as teacher, and a political role as shown when he confronts Attila (as illustrated on his tomb). There is thus a gradual development from Peter to Leo that Catholic theology sees as a straight line but that Catholic and other historians see as dotted, with some missing pieces. ]
Chichicastenango is well known as a focal point of syncretism between Catholicism and Mayan folk beliefs. "Maximon," aka "St. Judas Iscariot," is popular--a Mayan idol decked with a cowboy hat and neckerchief who likes offerings of cigars and whiskey. I've heard lots of stories and seen lots of interesting articles (and had a great experience in Guatemala during Holy Week in 1994, where the focus is on reenacting the scenes from the last week of Christ's life--clearly Christocentric, and very moving).
As to the Hajj, it was clearly a pilgrimage site before Mohammed, and his tribe was responsible for maintaining the Kaaba. They did profit from the pilgrimages. And he got cast out of Mecca specifically because he disrupted the economy, and preached that the God of Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus was the one true God. He restored the Kaaba to the worship of the God of Abraham. That's the significance, not the black stone. The Hajj is about much more than circling the Kaaba. It includes reenacting Hagar's search for water, too. But these things are done every day of the year. The Hajj proper starts with these rites, but then involves taking a pilgrimage on foot out into the desert to stand in the Plains of Arafat in anticipation of the Last Judgment. There is a sacrifice, and then the return to Mecca (along the way casting stones at pillars representing Satan). And the food and water the pilgrims eat and drink is donated. They wear a couple strips of cloth, so the clothing stores aren't making money. They are staying in tents the government puts up, so the hoteliers aren't making lots of money. The focus is spiritual, as any Muslim who has been on it will attest.
LaMoria,
I would suggest that you are on the wrong web page. You need to go to a more "conservative" page; you will find few people who agree with you on this site. We want to hear what others think, even those who are not Adventists or who are ex-Adventists, or just those who realize that truth can be found in many places. No one church or organization has a "corner" on the truth! All of us can learn from others.
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