November 3, 2019

11/3/2019, 06:15

I’m starting this reflection before the start of one of our final days walking on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, at which we should arrive on Wednesday, November 6. In the quiet of the morning, I looked back with wonder and awe on a series of events that occurred yesterday:

While approaching Portomarin, about 5km into our walk, we all stopped at a wayside self-service stand to obtain another sello for our credencials.  (In this last 100km to Santiago, it is required to obtain at least two stamps, or sellos, each day in order to prove you really walked the entire distance and are deserving of the Compostela.)  As we were walking about 10km later, Fr. JoeT realized that he had lost his credencial, probably back at that wayside self-service stand.  Needless to say, he was really bummed about the prospect of not receiving a Compostela since proof of his pilgrimage had  been lost. 

Now Fr. JoeT  is walking in cassock and a hat (a Capello Romano), an outfit that clearly identifies him as a priest.  So, as we walk along the Way, a number of pilgrims come up to him for conversation and a blessing.  He used those opportunities to inquire whether any other pilgrims had seen the errant credencial, but none had.  With not much confidence, we tried to assure Fr. JoeT that a pilgrim will turn the credencial in at the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago and when we arrive in Santiago, he will find the lost credencial. 

Well, later that very afternoon, as we were checking into our pension, an upscaled albergue, the hospitalero took note of Fr. JoeT’s name and handed him the lost credencial.  She told us that a German pilgrim had stopped by and dropped it off.  We were all absolutely amazed for a number of reasons:

1. That the credencial was found.
2. That, of all the albergues and pensions along the Way, that the German pilgrim turned-in the credencial to the location where we were next lodging.

Coincidence?  Possibly. But my wife, Mary, and I have long since stopped believing in coincidences.  I’m leaning toward Divine intervention, possibly in the form of a Guardian Angel.  What do you think?

Jim Olshefski