It makes sense that my dear ones, represented by rocks I had carried, would travel with me all the way to the ends of the Earth. I had laid burdens down along the way, but not my loved ones. I felt like we needed to carry one another to the very finish line.
I walked down that hill in Muxía on to large rocks between the Wound and the church, and, one at a time, I tossed my companion rocks- my dear ones’ lives- and a rock representing my own, into the deep of God’s infinite goodness, faithfulness, and love. Waves of healing mercy and grace continually crashed upon the rocks. Standing at the foot of the ocean’s power, I encountered a deeper knowing of what faith is all about…to give ourselves up and over in trust to a greater power who covers us, carries us, and who is far superior and powerful than the Wound, the church, or me.
This surrender was accompanied by strong emotions of pain and joy, freedom and hope, acceptance and peace. As mist from the waves left a saltwater taste on my lips, I experienced a strong confirmation that no matter what, God has got us and all will be well. After all, we are in the deep flow of God, and His pattern is always one of resurrection and new life after death. As I turned to leave, I could see the cross on top of the hill. An empty cross. How fitting after my time standing on rocks and tossing rocks into the deep, that I would walk away at the end of my Camino with only one rock on my being, the Christ rock, the living stone.
**To end my time in Muxía, I ate lunch at a café while waiting for the bus. As I was eating, I decided to learn more about the church by the rocks. It is celebrated as the sanctuary where The Virgin Mary came in a boat to encourage the Apostle James as he shared of God’s love in Christ throughout Spain. The legend is that the large stones in front of the church that I had been standing on are part of the Virgin Mary’s stone boat and are said to have curative and prophetic powers. I am not much for legend and superstition, but I do know that I had a holy encounter this day on those rocks and experienced an awesome sense of God’s presence and power.
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