Doin’ the “Walk of Life” – Dire Straits (1985)
We arrived in Santiago de Compostela this afternoon, on a high speed train going 300 Km/h. Our journey began on foot, transitioned to a few days of biking, and when we ran out of time and tolerable weather, we decided to hop a train for this last section of the route. Some pilgrims arrive on bike, some on foot, some run, while others ride horse. Some pilgrims are even pushed along or carried by fellow pilgrims – unique teams of devoted friends. I even met one young couple from California who were carrying their puppy in a front-facing pack! That seemed like a lot of work, especially on the rainy days…though I will admit that puppy looked pretty adorable with his face poking out of a rain poncho! They say everyone walks their own Camino, and we have found that to be true in the stories that are as unique as the people telling them.
The most unique arrival at Santiago de Compostela has to be the story/legend of St. James himself (also known as James the Greater or Santiago in Spanish). James was one of the apostles chosen by Jesus. He is often thought of as having an assertive and zealous personality; he, along with his brother, John, were known as The Sons of Thunder, probably a nod to their energy and devotion to Jesus and His teachings. James is also known for being the first apostle to be martyred in Jerusalem for the sake of the gospel (Acts 12:2). In the catholic tradition, his martyrdom gave him the title of Saint James the Greater as a way to distinguish him from the other apostle James.
There really isn’t much else known about the life of James, but the story/legend of his life has been linked to the history of the Camino de Santiago, as it is said that James journeyed through Spain and Portugal spreading the gospel, just as the apostles were commissioned to do. After his brief ministry there, and gaining some new followers of Christ, legend tells us that at that point he went back to Jerusalem where he was martyred at the hands of Herod. The legend goes on to say that two of his disciples stole his body, fled with it, and put it on a stone boat with no rudder or sail and asked God to guide them. The boat drifted to Northern Spain and James was buried there, along with his two disciples, to be forgotten for hundreds of years.
In 823, a hermit named Pelayo, was living in the Forest of Libredon. Pelayo began to notice lights coming from the forest and shared this information with the Bishop, who traveled to see these mysterious lights and interpreted them as divine signs; signs which led them to a burial site that was quickly attributed to that of James and the two disciples who had fled with the body of James on the stone boat. This place became known as “The Land of Stars,” or Campo de Estrellas in Spanish (Campus Stellae) which would become the origin of the name of Compostela. From that time on, pilgrims have been traveling the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) to Santiago de Compostela (St. James of the Field of Stars).
Scholars and theologians have agreed that the story/legend of St. James and his work in what is now Northern Spain, as well as the arrival of his body in a stone boat, are difficult to verify. It is fascinating reading the various accounts – there are many theories, and little evidence. What is evident, is that the story of St. James, the apostle of Jesus Christ, has been drawing people from all places, all walks of life, all modes of transportation, and all sources of motivation, to engage in a journey of some type, whether that is a journey to a deeper faith, a time for figuring something out, or a transition to a different stage of life.
Tomorrow we will join with fellow pilgrims, brothers and sisters in Christ, seekers, and adventurers at a Pilgrim’s Mass in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. We are looking forward to hearing more stories!
Goodnight, and Buen Camino!
