I have been thinking about this post since our stay in Compostela but I haven’t found the words to express myself. I still don’t have the words, but it has been long enough, and I’ll give it a try.
The few days leading up to Santiago de Compostela were pretty tiresome. Although it was great to run into old friends, I was also tired and struggling with the increase of new pilgrims as we got closer. I found my patience becoming shorter, accompanied by generally being worn out. I found it difficult to pray as I wanted or to think/mediate well. There were some questions to which I just couldn’t find the answers. In the midst of this, I felt God’s presence. In every Church which I visited I found pictures or statues of the Sacred Hearts. It was like I was being followed, and I kept hearing the message to trust in God and to remember his love. It was a great consolation to simply know that I am loved despite my errors, failures, and difficulties.
At the cathedral in Santiago, there is a holy door to cememorate the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Walking through the Holy door is attatched the graces to be further detached from sin (of course you must desire and work towards this detachment!). Luke and I had the opportunity not only to pray at the tomb if St. James each day, but also to walk through the Holy door, to receive God’s mercy and also to offer the graces for others. But you don’t have to go on a pilgrimage to Compestela or Rome to find a holy door. Each diocese throughout the world has several Church doors declared as holy doors for pilgrimage. So take a look on your diocesan website or ask your parish priest about making a personal pilgrimage to one of these sites. You don’t even have to walk across Europe!
The cathedral was also lined with confessionals. Priests were reconciling penitents to God in many of the world languages. It was a beautiful site to see. And it was even cooler in Fatima, where a whole chapel is dedicated to confessions, and it looks similar to a hospital! By the way, going to confession is one of the requirements to receive the indulgence from the Holy door pilgrimage. One must also, recieved holy communion, pray for the popes intentions, and strive to be free from the attachment to sin. An indulgence isn’t magic, but it is an outreach from God to us from the Church to heal the damage that sin does to us. Confession forgives the sin and an indulgence (and especially the process of “getting” one) helps to free us from attachmentioned to sin.
Fatima also offered a great message if prayer, sacrifice, and penance for peace and conversion of sinners, including ourselves! But there is a bit too much about Fatima to unravel now.
We will arrive in Kraków on Tuesday morning. In fact, right now, I’m on a night train to Krakow, after finishing up our time in the diocese of Gdańsk where already we’ve heard more about God’s mercy and visited some other holy doors. This whole trip has been a long journey along the way of mercy. In some ways, it is coming to its conclusion in Kraków, with the Holy Father.
-Michael