As the Church celebrates Mission Month, I reflect on how the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain, renewed my missionary calling. To share Christ’s transforming love, I must allow it to transform me. Walking towards Santiago became an invitation to examine my heart, receive God’s grace, and return more available to others. Six kilometres outside SantiagoContinue reading “From Pilgrim to Missionary: The Camino Within”
Author Archives: donalddeanchambers
My Name is John
A bishop once said,“Bishop is a title,but my name is John.”How easily we forget our names. We polish our titlesuntil they become mirrors,then stand before them so longwe mistake the reflection for ourselves. Status becomes an addiction,a carefully furnished prisonwhere the ego keeps watchand vulnerability is refused entry. We learn whom to greet,beside whom toContinue reading “My Name is John”
No Single House, No Single Heart
A real estate agent advises new buyers,“One house will not give you everything.You cannot find it all beneath one roof:the ideal kitchen, the preferred bathroom,or every wish you’ve stored inside.Some dreams are met, and some denied.” So hear this now, and hold it fast:No single friendship, built to last,will pour out every want you feel.OneContinue reading “No Single House, No Single Heart”
Beneath the Wings of Grace
Padrón to Santiago We began beneath cloudless skies in Barcelos,in heat and dust and bright sunshine.Nine days later, rain and windaccompanied our final steps into Santiago de Compostela.It was my birthday, September twenty-nine,the feast of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.I carried the day into prayeras we set out from Padrón. We prayed the Sorrowful Mysteriesand calledContinue reading “Beneath the Wings of Grace”
Toward the Healing Spring of Caldas de Reis
I left Pontevedra slowly,my body awake but my spirit still heavy.As we prayed the Glorious Mysteries,the warmth of the “morning people” beside mebegan to draw me into the day.Their laughter was its own kind of sunshine. At the edge of the city,an old house stood alone among overgrown shrubs.I thought of older peoplewho have givenContinue reading “Toward the Healing Spring of Caldas de Reis”
The Stone for Weary Pilgrims
Morning blues lodged within my bonesas we left Caldas de Reis.The sky was overcast, the air cold,and the Galician rain grew heavier. Then three companions brought their sunshineinto the grey morning.Their lively voices lifted melike wings beneath a tired bird. Ahead of us, a stream of diverse pilgrimsflowed out of the city like the RiverContinue reading “The Stone for Weary Pilgrims”
The Bridge We Carry Within
From Arcade we set out with prayer,then voices scattered like a startled hive:Where would we meet? Who would take the taxi?Slowly, our many words found a way together. At the Berdugo River, I watched the waterflow toward the morning light.The river travelled downstream;my heart was being called upstream,toward the hidden cave,toward the treasure at itsContinue reading “The Bridge We Carry Within”
The Camino that Holds Every Story
I left O Porriño in the morning chill,carrying a coldness within me.My mood imitated the air—quiet, heavy and slow to awaken. Morning blues travelled in my body.Energy had not yet found my limbs,and part of me wanted to retreatuntil I felt ready to join the day. But pilgrimage does not always waitfor the body andContinue reading “The Camino that Holds Every Story”
Following the Yellow Arrows Within
We left Tui in the cool morning air,wrapped for a while in a blanket of mist.It walked beside us like a quiet companion,then lifted and left us to the road. Our small group delved into conversation, our words carrying us beyond ourselves.So absorbed were we in one anotherthat we failed to notice the turning. TheContinue reading “Following the Yellow Arrows Within”
Strong Enough to Remain Faithful
The morning in Rubiães was cool,sixteen degrees Celsius beneath a smiling sun.We began climbing with the Glorious Mysteries,our fingers wrapped around the rosary. We prayed as the road rose steeply,reciting, sweating and breathing heavily.The glory on our lips met the strain in our bodies,and prayer became as breathless as the climb. We barely held onContinue reading “Strong Enough to Remain Faithful”
