I got up this morning in time to go to the 9:30 Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral.
The Mass was standing room only. I got there early and got a good seat in the section closest to the altar. After I sat down about 100 Spanish soldiers filled in the section so I would up being the only civilian in this section surrounded by 100 Spanish soldiers. I offered to move but they told me to sit still. As you all know, I do what I am told to do. So, following orders, I sat still.
The Cardinal said the Mass, in Spanish. Sitting through a Mass in Spanish is kinda like sitting through a Latin Mass. Most of you don’t remember those Latin Masses. When I was a kid I was an altar boy at the Ursuline convent’s 6:00 AM Latin Mass. There was no way in the world that I could keep my mind from wandering pretty far afield during those early morning Latin Masses.
I got Communion from the Cardinal and that’s a pretty big deal.
There will be no swinging of the Botofumiero, the infamous Big Smoker, during this visit. The Botofumiero is out of commission for a month undergoing repairs to the apparatus that swings it.
I wanted to go to confession while I was in the Cathedral. I went by a side altar where a priest was hearing confessions in Italian and English. At least 50 people were waiting patiently in this line. Most of the people waiting in this line were Italian. You can draw your own conclusions from that.
After we got done with the preliminares I got right to the point. “Bless me father for I have sinned. I cheat at golf.” Father Gustav looked at me with incredulity, finding it hard to believe I would confess and ask forgiveness for this unpardonable sin. I explained to him that when I play in the Hansen Golf League, I improve my lies in the fairways and rough. I don’t take penalty strokes for lost balls, I just pull another ball out of my pocket, drop it in the fairway and loudly proclaim, “I found it.” And worst of all, on occasion, I report a lower score on a hole where I actually shot a higher score.
Father Gustav told me that he was a golfer and my cheating at golf was an unpardonable sin, but as a priest hearing my confession he was duty bound to offer me forgiveness and absolution. So he made the sign of the cross and said: “Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace and sin no more.”
I was taken aback. “You mean I have to stop cheating at golf?” Father Gustav shot back: “That is exactly what it means. You don’t get forgiveness or absolution unless you promise to end your golf cheating.” I thought about that for a minute and told Father Gustav that I would need to put a bookmark in this confession and spend some time thinking about the pros and cons of abstaining from cheating at golf. Father Gustav improvised and gave me a provisional forgiveness and absolution. According to Father Gustav this provisional forgiveness and absolution will be automatically revoked should I ever cheat at golf again. We’ll see what happens the first time I am tempted to cheat at golf. I am less than sanguine about my chances of making Father Gustav’s absolution and forgiveness stick.
I worked up an appetite sparring with Father Gustav over the fate of my golf game and my immortal soul. So I headed down to my favorite restaurant in Santiago.
I spent some time with Grey and Janet along the Way. It was nice to run into them in Santiago. They are such nice people.
In order to get up to the rooftop we had to climb 105 steps. And I thought this was a rest day.
A series of pictures taken from the roof of the Cathedral.
After we completed the rooftop tour we got to spend 30 minutes viewing the Portico of Glory. Master Mateo supervised the building of the Cathedral and at the main entrance to the Cathedral there are three doors. Around these three doors, he carved his masterpiece, the Portico of Glory. This entrance is not open to the public. In order to see it you have to buy a ticket and join a tour. They wouldn’t let us take pictures, so no pictures of the Portico of Glory on the blog. I suggest you Google Portico of Glory to get the complete lowdown and see some pictures. What a shame to limit access to this masterpiece.
After we finished the tour we found a bar where we had tapas and a couple of drinks and swapped Camino stories. It was so nice spending the afternoon with Grey and Janet. Meeting and spending time with beautiful souls like Grey and Janet is my favorite part of the Camino.
That’s it from Santiago, Spain. Tomorrow I start walking to Finnesterre. I hope you are having a wonderful day wherever you are.
Steps walked – 7,389
Kilometers walked – 4.9
Flights of stairs climbed – 17
AbeAndMarkontheCamino 