Credentialed

It’s beginning to look official. A few days ago, I received my ‘Credencial del Peregrino’ or Pilgrim’s Credentials in the mail from American Pilgrims on the Camino. It’s a fallback in case we can’t get them over there. Mary and Stella already have theirs. We should be able to get them when we arrive in St. Jean Pied du Port, the little village just across the French border where we are starting. They are given out, maybe, if she likes you, by this little old lady, who has a reputation for being rather curmudgeonly. So we wanted to play it safe. These credentials will be what allow us to stay in the hostels (a.k.a refugios, or now more, alburgues) along the way. We will get them stamped in each town and village at the alburgue or cathedral as we pass through. And won’t they be a nifty memento of this journey? Each place has its unique stamp and so the completed credential at the end of the pilgrimage is rather like a well-used passport, suitable for framing. The Credentials include a "Pilgrim's Prayer" which reportedly dates back to the 12th century Codex Calixtinus (a codex being a collection of manuscripts sewn together):

God, You called your seravant Abraham from Ur in Chaldea, watcing over him
in all his wanderings, and guided the Hebrew people as they crossed the
desert. Guard these your children who, for love of your Name, make a
pilgrimage to Compostela. Be their strength in weariness, their defense in
dangers, their shelter on the path, their shade in the heat, their light in
darkness, their comfort in discouragement, and the firmness of their
intentions; that through your guidance, they may arrive safely at the end of
their journey and, enriched with grace and virtue, may return to their homes
filled with salutary and lasting joy.

Amen, may it be so. I know that Mary and Stella and I are all excited, all a little nervous, as none of us have ever done anything like this before. But then, that's what adventure and, so often, God's call (for me, at least) are all about. The Credentials also have guidelines for the Spirit of the Camino:

- - Share what you have with other pilgrims

- - Live in the moment

- - Watch for the signs that you are on the path

- - Welcome all that comes to you

- - Sense the prayers of those who have gone before you,
leave good will behind for those who will come after you,
appreciate your companions who walk with you

- - Care for the albergue (hostel) as if it were your own home

- - Give thanks at the end of each day

- - When you arrive in Santiago, embrace the Saint on behalf of all those unable to make the pilgrimage.

Not bad rules for life in general, if you think about it. And I would want to add one more that my spiritual director, Mary, just shared with me on my last visit: O Lord, don't let me miss anything this day! Buen Camino!