Witnessing the giant censer (Botafumeiro) in Santiago Cathedral

As we completed the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, we hoped we may be fortunate enough to witness the Botafumeiro in action. This historical ceremony has been taking place in the Cathedral since the 12th century and is truly epic. 

Botafumeiro literally means 'to expel smoke' and it is a giant censer that is swung from the roof of the cathedral. The current censer weighs about 80 kilograms, is around 1.60 meters tall and takes 8 men to operate. It is usually only in operation on special occasions and Christian holy-days, but we were so blessed to witness this event in person. 

If you would like to watch this incredible event, please follow this link and watch our video. 

If you are in the Fish Hoek area on the 16th of August and would like to come along to our presentation about our Camino experiences, please join us. We are meeting at 6pm in the Methodist Church.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

James the Elder - a committed follower of Christ

The 25th of July marks a day of remembering St. James, Jesus' disciple. To be truly honest, I didn't really know when this day was celebrated until this year, and it was committing to walk the Camino that brought me face to face with the life of James the Elder. In the scriptures we know that James and his brother John, were the sons of Zebedee and were called to follow Jesus.

"Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them..." - Matthew 4:21

He is called James the Elder (or James the Greater) not because he was more holy than the other disciple, also named James (son of Alpheaus), but probably because he was older than him. The story of his life seems to indicate that he was the first disciple martyred for his faith (by Herod Agrippa). You will find a record of this event in Acts 12.

What is interesting is that James has become the patron Saint of Spain, and this is where the link with the Camino comes in. Christians throughout Spain use the public holiday afforded to them on the 25th of July, to remember the life of James. He is supposedly buried in the city of Santiago, which is why millions of pilgrims walk these routes every year. It is hoped that as one undertakes the long journey to the city of St. James, that we would ponder our own faith and commitment to Christ. If called upon, would we be willing to lay everything down for the gospel and to follow Jesus?

It is true that James was one of Jesus' inner circle and we would do well to remember his life and sacrifice. 

"After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone." - Mark 9:2

Living in Grace

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The Camino de Santiago

The idea of walking the Camino has been in my mind for a while now and I am so excited to have the opportunity to fulfil this dream. This week is the week that we get to tick 'The Camino' off our bucket list.

In truth, I can't tell you exactly when I first heard about the Camino de Santiago, but the very idea of going on this pilgrimage has remained in my heart for ages. Every person I have spoken to, who has walked a part of the Way, has beamed when relating their own experiences and I hope to be one of those people in the future.

For those of you who may not know too much about El Camino, it is quite simply a pilgrimage (usually walking) that ends up in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. This is the place where the remains of James (Jesus' disciple, the son of Zebedee) are supposedly buried.  When translated, the name Santiago de Compostela means 'Saint James, in the field of stars.'

Sounds simple hey? Well, not exactly ....

In order to officially complete the pilgrimage, you need to walk a minimum of 100km's on any of the official routes and end up in Santiago. We will be walking on the Camino Primitivo route, which is the original pilgrim route in Northern part of Spain, and we should be covering a distance of close on 250km's. 

For us, the idea is to walk, to pray, to contemplate, to listen and to connect with God again. I know that one doesn't have to travel half-way around the world to do these things, but there is something special about doing it in the footsteps of millions of others. 

I will try and write a little more in the next few days, before we leave, but I would appreciate your prayers as we head out into this great adventure. It is my prayer that we would have our own Emmaus Road encounter (Luke 24) - and meet Christ as we walk and reflect. 

In 1604, Sir Walter Raleigh wrote: 

"Give me my scallop of quiet,
my staff of faith to walk upon,
my scrip of joy, immortal diet,
my bottle of salvation,
my gown of glory, hope's true gage,
and thus I'll take my pilgrimage."

Living in Grace

D3LM3