Day 52b: To rest under the Cross … (06/05/2019)
What had for many hundreds (if not thousands) of years been a walk of renewal and cleansing for untold thousands of pagan pilgrims, the Camino was co-opted by the Catholic Church — with the earliest records of visits paid to Santiago’s shrine to St. James dating from the 9th century. As such, the main Camino route passes by hundreds of Catholic churches, and its waysides are regularly graced with crosses and Christian shrines. Interestingly enough, even though I myself am not a Christian (and even find the condemnatory portions of Christian dogma to be somewhat detestable), I had no problem whatsoever in pausing within the confines of Catholic churches to sit in thankful peace &/or pause briefly by roadside crosses* to pay grateful tribute to The Way and all the pilgrims who have walked it along with me … 🙂
“Any truly Christian community must do as Jesus did: namely, encourage and not judge — propose and never impose. And anyone truly drawn to the innately halcyon peace of the same must be attracted not by dreams of personal benefit or hopes for individual salvation, but rather via the sheer radiance cast by the limitless Love given to all brothers & sisters alike.” ~ inspired by Jean Vanier
*This non-religious reverence was made much easier by my own deeper understanding of the cross’s profound symbolism — boldly “stating” as it does the unequivocal Truth that the pure Peace of Oneness (represented by its vertical axis) can only be known by those who simultaneously combine a humble appreciation for all that is (found in the left half of its crossbeam) with a bold expression of selfless giving to others (symbolized by its crossbeam’s right-sided cousin) … 😉
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