I meet a lot of happy people on the Camino. For many it’s a trip they’ve been contemplating for years. Others, more spur of the moment, hear of the walk and join in with enthusiasm. But always a number of people carry burdens along with knapsacks.

We’ve met a few over the years. My wife talked to a grandson walking in honor of his late grandmother. We mourned with a friend who recently lost his brother. Others walk with cancer. Many hike with anxieties and worries and wrestle with the Lord. It’s an honor to learn of someone’s grief and be allowed in. But I wonder how best to pray for each person beyond their immediate need?

I think the words given by God to the children of Israel fit the call. On their pilgrimage from Egypt to the promised land, the Lord spoke to Moses and gave him this blessing for the priests to say over the people:

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Loads of people walk the Camino seeking peace. Personally, I enjoy several days away from the cacophony of life. Others confront God with deep disappointments, regrets and pain. Peace seems impossibly far over the horizon. But something about walking and walking and walking some more moves our soul into a place of receiving. We begin to hear the feedback of our own footsteps, and a peace from the Lord emerges.

Give you peace. We all seek it. Let’s pray this blessing for each other, whether we travel a challenging path or endure a life that seems long and lonely. The Lord is gracious. Turn to him and walk towards peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

Photo: A peaceful section of the Camino de Santiago