30 September 2018 – As we walk, Angie and I have tried to do the daily prayer and readings from the Northumbria Community Today’s Scripture Readings (29 September) were as follows:

Psalm 27:11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

1 Kings 12:13 The king answered the people harshly. He disregarded the advice that the older men had given him

1 Corinthians 3:9–15, 20–23 For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14 If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If the work is burned, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. 20 and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’ 21 So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

These days seem to have lots of mentions of pathways- God knows what we need. However, today the readings were followed by two poems that just caught my attention.

As the tamed horse

still hears the call of her wild brothers

and as the farmed goose flaps hopeful wings

as his sisters fly overhead,

so too, perhaps,

the wild ones amongst us

are our only hope in calling us back

to our true nature.

Wild ones

who have not been turned to stone

by the far-reaching grasp of the empire

and its programme of consumer sedation,

the killing of imagination.

Where, my friends,

have the wild ones gone?

Joel McKerrow

And:

‘Come to the edge’,

He said. They said,

‘we are afraid’.

‘Come to the edge’,

He said. They came.

He pushed them, and

they flew.

Christopher Logue

Joel McKerrow’s “calling us back to our true nature” is poignant. I write this as I sit in the shade by a swimming pool at our albergue. This is so out of character for albergues but; maybe not as the really good ones know what pilgrims really need. (Yes I did take a shower first!)

The advertising along the route plays to the needs of the pilgrim too: the signs for physiotherapists, massage therapists, bag transport* and taxis as the ultimate temptation to give up. We all get tempted to turn back, to not go all the way, to stay where we are. It would be nice to stay by this pool, to swim in its waters and enjoy the sun. But we have five more days of walking to go before we reach Santiago de Compostella. We committed to do this and with God’s help we will complete it.

But we also as Paul said have our responsibilities, to fulfil our calling, to press on to our higher calling in Christ, to run our race and bring as many with us as we run.

This is our true nature as followers of Jesus, not turned to stone but breakers of stone moulds. People who learn to fly. We might need a little push as Angie nearly needed this afternoon to get off the edge of the pool.

*Yes for €4-5 you can have someone transport your bag to your next destination!!