Our Trip to Brazil: A Reflection

I have worked for Maryknoll Lay Missioners for over 23 years. Almost from the beginning I have wanted to go see the missioners where they worked, but I couldn't afford to go.

Personally, however, it remained very important to me, more so as the years went on. So now, on the verge of retirement,  I can finally afford to go. I planned for months, and I talked about it with my close friend Marci. She said, "This is more important to you then the Camino, isn't it?"

 

I knew she was right. The Camino had been a powerful experience, but it was up to me to derive the meaning from it. There was no direct connection to my life. This pilgrimage, to Brazil, was deeply personal. I came to MKLM to do meaningful work that would make the world in some small way a better place. My job was part of that, but indirectly. I would meet the missioners and hear stories about their work, but I longed for direct exposure. Now I would finally make the journey with Mary by my side to see what all my efforts had been supporting. Was I helping to make the world a better place?

 

We spent about 9 days in Brazil from October 14th to October 22nd, and the whole time I felt like I was in Heaven. As I reflect on those days, the thing that strikes me the most was the kindness and generosity of the missioners who basically took care of us while we were with them. They welcomed us into their world and helped us see what they were doing there.

It is very difficult to find people in Brazil that speak English. I thought that people who worked at hotels and restaurants would speak English. This was true to some extent in Rio, but not in Sao Paulo, Joao Passoa or Olinda. The few who spoke English didn't speak it very well. It led to some comical situations. I called the front desk to say there was a problem with the television. The clerk asked, "Do you want two?"  That puzzled me, two televisions? When help arrived, it was an employee carrying two towels. Fortunately, he knew how to fix the television.

The missioners were always going above and beyond in helping us with the language hurdle. When we first arrived in Sao Paulo, Joanne spoke to the clerk about checking us in early. She resisted, as the lobby was filled with people waiting to get into their rooms (it was a holiday weekend). Joanne pointed out Mary and told the clerk that Mary wasn’t feeling well and really needed to lie down (Mary was actually just tired from the 9 hour flight). The clerk checked us in, and the manager cut the early check-in fee in half.

After spending the day with Margarita at the favela where she worked, she took us to our hotel, and then she came in to speak to the desk clerk because we were having problems with our Wifi (critical in keeping contact with the missioners). When they told us we would have to move to another floor, Margarita came up to our room and helped us pack and move our belongings to the 12^th floor. When she left, she asked us if we needed anything else or if she could do anything else for us (the standard parting from all the missioners in Sao Paulo).

We kept Kathy busy in Joao Pessoa with arranging our day trips for us (not that we asked her to). We wanted to go to Olinda (a very scenic town overlooking the Atlantic Ocean), which was a two-hour drive from Joao Pessoa. She contacted Franciso at our hotel to find us a driver. He found one, but once the driver found out we didn’t speak Portuguese he refused to take us. More phone calls and bargaining from Kathy.

Eventually, Francisco, who had the day off, drove us back and forth for a six hour day trip. We all had lunch together at a restaurant Kathy had chosen, which had an incredible dish featuring fish in a cream sauce baked in a pumpkin. We ate the pumpkin as well as the fish, and we needed three people to finish the dish. Franciso also drove us to the Mirante Skybeach to see the sunset from the tallest building in Joao Pessoa, again thanks to Kathy’s work.

And it wasn’t just the missioners who treated us with the utmost kindness and generosity. A small woman with glasses was our waitress at the daily breakfast buffet at the hotel in Joao Pessoa. We would fill up our plates at the buffet, and as long as we were seated she would come by with other plates of food for us to try. With the help of my Google translator, I told her that everything was delicious, and her face lit up as she pulled me by the arm over to the omelet chef to let her know what I had said. The next two days she would rush over whenever she saw us and continue to bring us plates of food. When we left after our last breakfast, I wrote her a message on my translator: “Today is our last day. We just wanted to thank you for your kindness to us. You brought joy to us each morning. Richard & Mary.” She grabbed my phone and wrote the following: “I call myself Andrea. You two guys have been a prayer to me.” The translation could have been better, but we got the message. She shook my hand and Mary gave her a big hug.

There are more stories I could tell, so many kind and loving gestures from the missioners and others we met. I believe God has called on us to love each other and help each other.

 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor? … The one who had mercy on him.” Luke 10: 36, 37

That’s what I received through this trip, a feeling of being loved and that there were people looking after us. If we all treated each other this way, what a wonderful community we would be.  

 

Reflections About a Camino

"May we become bearers of joy, we who are invited to share in the Cosmic Dance! May we walk in faith all the days of our life - confident in your Divine Presence, even in times of trouble, and with assurance for what is and all that is to be. May we have faith in the unfolding of our lives, and radical trust in the universe." Nan Merrill, Psalms for Praying. 

It was a week ago that I was at the 9:30 am Pilgrim's Mass at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, after completing a six-day journey from Tui to Santiago. We returned to the US on Monday, and I have spent the past week reflecting and trying to pull some meaning out of the experience.

I have heard it said that "It's your Camino. Do it the way you want!" I certainly did that, but I also wanted to be cognizant of and faithful to the pilgrims who walked this way before me. Around 800 years ago, pilgrims started leaving their homes to walk to Santiago. After arriving and resting, they turned around and walked back home.

The Camino de Santiago has been designated a Plenary Indulgence in the Catholic church, meaning that if you complete the pilgrimage,  your sins are all forgiven. I am not Catholic, but my reading indicates that the early Church looked at indulgences as a way to encourage people to live according to God's precepts in their daily life. Indulgences eventually were twisted into things you could buy and sell. But as someone who strives to live a contemplative life, I like the idea of encouraging people to live their lives according to their faith. I believe that when your faith is a part of your daily life, you find joy.

That was the first gift I received on the Camino: a feeling of joy that I was actually there after three years of planning. I was taking part in this incredible ritual and at the same time discovering the beauty of Spain's landscape and its people.

 

The second gift was forgiveness for myself. It was much harder to walk the Camino than I had anticipated. On day 4 I had started to break down. On day 6 I told Debbie and Mary that I didn't think I could complete the journey. They both told me not to quit, and with Debbie's help I was able to complete it. I was able to forgive my weakness and accept that I did pretty well for a 69 year old with numerous health issues.

The third gift was all the Spanish people we met. They went out of their way to help us navigate the vagaries of staying in various cities along the Camino. I had made the arrangements, mostly through Booking.com before we left. I was expecting to find a sort of reception desk at each place, but the first three days, when Mary arrived ahead of us to hang out while Debbie and I hiked the trail, there was no one there and no indication of how to access our room. In each case, Mary, who speaks no Spanish, found a local shop owner or other local to contact management and get her in our room. By the time Debbie and I arrived, Mary would be relaxing on the balcony or in a nearby park or square waiting for us. I like to think God was watching out for her.

I was also impressed by the Spanish women running the restaurants we ate at.  More often then not, two women would be the only people behind the counter, one cooking and the other acting as host/wait person. No matter how busy they got, they reacted to us with patience, kindness and grace.

I remember in particular two occasions. The Spanish generally follow the practice of Siesta. Most restaurants are closed between 2 and 8 pm. Our preference was for dinner around 5:30 or 6:00 pm. We could usually find some sort of bar/bistro that was serving food, but in Caldas de Reis we seemed to have run dry. Then we found this little bar, operated by two women, of course. They said they had a very limited selection of food. We said we would "eat whatever you've got." A little later they brought out three big plates: one of a salad with onions and tomatoes, one of French fries, and one of fried chicken. They were each delicious, and we filled up with three chicken legs left over. We heaped our praise on the chef, who was obviously pleased at our enjoyment of her food.

The other special meal was when Debbie and I ordered gazpacho at a cafe in Santiago.  The host/chef told us about how she chose and prepared the tomatoes for the soup with real pride. I have never liked gazpacho, but after that description I had to try it. It was bliss. The tomato taste was incredible! I would say that it was the best bowl of soup I have ever had.

The Camino can be magical. I remember feeling worn out and struggling to keep going when a group of five or six women passed me and began singing in perfect harmony a folk song. It was like a dream. The next day a tiny elderly woman passed me. As she did she broke into a wide smile, looked directly into my eyes, and wished me a "Buen Camino!" Then she and her family broke into a rousing song as she hiked on.

I feel so blessed and fortunate to have finally made this pilgrimage. The pain has faded, but these memories live on. I believe that God's spirit resides inside each of us, and the Camino is filled with people exhibiting that spirit. It is a wonderful place to be.

The map on the inside of my Pilgrim credentials shows the various routes spreading across Europe away from Santiago, as if Santiago was the beating heart pumping God's grace and love across Europe. I would like to see that system grow, heading East into Asia and Southeast down to Austrailia and then shooting across the Atlantic to link up in the Americas, creating one circulatory system across the world, enfolding us in God's body. Then we could all feel together, not alone, as we strive to, as a Hindu prayer I love put it, "create heaven here on earth." Amen.

Special thanks: The following people deserve my special thanks.

My boss Ted and my former boss Leslie. Three years ago for St. James' feast day, Ted wrote a reflection in which he referred to the Camino.  I had never heard of it before. He had no idea what a spark he put in my life. Leslie always encouraged me in my spiritual development, and we talked of the Camino often while I waited out Covid.

Missioners and Camino veterans, Jim and Marilyn, Heidi, Richard and Sami. They answered my questions, they gave excellent advice, and provided all kinds of support to my pilgrimage. My spiritual director Jeanine, who always knows the right questions to ask.

Most of all, my companera Debbie and my life partner, Mary. I had planned on hiking alone, but God sent me Debbie, and She knew what I needed. Mary has played down any contribution to my journey, but just having her there at the end of each day meant everything to me.

Many others provided encouragement and support, and I am grateful to each of you.