Ponferrada - Villa Franca del Bierzo
24 km to 180 km from Santiago
I walk 6 km without seeing any yellow arrow. This morning I feel like going in circles, I had to miss an indication somewhere. No boom, no and no pilgrim trail, obviously, I'm lost.
I'm worried this is not a nice feeling, but it has its raison d'etre. It is a signal that warns me that we must act and change something to find my way. Without my anxiety, I would not do anything, I would walk for hours in the wrong direction. It's like in life, when depression hits hard, my anguish compels me to act in order to rediscover myself and get back on track.
I try to find information that could help me find my way. The sun is in my back. It's a good sign, I will at least in the right direction. I see two British pilgrims who walk before me, they enter into a cafe. Seated at the table, a map unfolded full length, they argue their positions. I smile, it looks like an old couple bickering is surely longtime friends. John and Tom asked me if I know where I am. I have no idea.
The waitress arrives, we serve coffee with his finger tip and our exact location. It is about six kilometers west of sentier.
J’arrive à Villa de Franca vers 13h30, je lave mon linge, je prends ma douche, je mange et je fais ma sieste. Ensuite, je descends au centre-ville, car à Villa de Franca on monte ou l’on descend, c’est un mini San Francisco. Je retrouve Cyrus le Suisse, Pépé et Claudine dans un café de la ville.
Lors de mon retour, au pied de la côte qui mène à l’auberge, j’entends des voix qui chantent en latin. Il y a un monastère tout près, je crois qu’il s’agit d’une séance de prière faite par les moines.
Arrivé au sommet, je constate que les paroles sont chantées French, they come from some sixty young people who attend Mass outside the church. Mass is celebrated by two priests and a black African and a white French. They notice my entry. I recognize the pilgrims sitting on the grass behind the group of teenagers, I sit near them.
reading of the gospel begins, is the gospel according to St Mark's
the disciples of Emmaus. (Luke 24.13-55)
That same day two of them went to a village called Emmaus, which was about two hours Walking in Jerusalem. They talked about everything that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came and went with them. They saw it, but something prevented them from recognizing him. Jesus asked, "What do you talk while walking. And they stopped, all sad. One of them, called Cleopas, said to him: "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know what happened to those days? - "What? "They asked, he said. They replied: "What happened to Jesus of Nazareth! It was a powerful prophet, he demonstrated by his deed and word before God and all the people. The heads of our priests and our rulers delivered him to be sentenced to death and nailed to a cross. We hope that it was he who was to deliver Israel. But besides all this, today is the third day since these events have happened. Some of our women amazed us, it is true. They went to the tomb early this morning but did not find his body. They came to tell us that angels appeared to them and told them he was alive. Some of us went to the tomb and found everything as the women had said, but him they have not seen. "Then Jesus said to them:" People without knowledge, you are slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Messiah thus suffers before entering his glory? Then he told them what was said about him in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and continuing through all the books of the Prophets.
When they arrived near the village where they were going, Jesus acted as if he wanted to proceed. But they kept him, saying: "Stay with us day and night already down approach. So he went to stay with them. He sat down with them, took bread, and thanked God, then he broke the bread and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, he disappeared from their sight. They said one to another: "Was it not like a fire burning inside of us when we talked on the way to us the scriptures? "
They rose at once and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven disciples gathered with their companions, who said: "The Lord is truly risen! Simon saw! "And they themselves told them what had happened on the road and how they had recognized Jesus at the moment the breaking of bread.
After reading, the priest gives his homily. In my opinion and the opinion of other pilgrims, this is one of the most boring homilies that I have to listen. Some pilgrims, particularly older people are shocked by the monotonous speech of the priest who is not likely to interest young people. For myself, I find it unfortunate that these adolescents are not the pilgrimage on foot. They are bused to Compostela.
Towards the end of Mass, the youth began to sing, I got up and walked to the hostel on their backs. Then the priest says "I thank the pilgrims for joining us. "
I turned to see if the priest is for me, all teenagers are standing and watching me. I send them by hand, then suddenly, the hands of the sixty teenagers get up to greet me.
I feel a great sense of peace in me.
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