October 20, 2012. Burgos renero Spain

Had a very long walk today: almost 18 miles. I have now passed the mid point and plan to be in Leon on Monday. Today was the first day I walked alone without any pilgrims. It was a very solitary day filled with prayer and reflection.
When you have hour after hour of silence, so many thoughts begin to surface. I started to be filled with fear: am I going the right route?(I tend to get lost) why am I doing this? Will Iake it? These thoughts leading to the questions are grounded in fear, an emotion that cripples the spirit, compelling one to lose trust and hope. These are the demons that lurk within always looking to trip us up along our chosen path. I truly felt the struggle of Jacob in Genesis and Christ in the desert of temptation. But the struggle with our inner demons always leads to the angels entering the struggle, banishing those demons renewing our spirits. But we must let the angels I'm by letting go of the grip of fear. The angels ministered to me in my fear and lack of trust.
Each of you is struggling with something. Let the angels in...see what happens and be surprised and encouraged.
I learned an important word on the camino: ANIMO! A young man from Madrid kept saying that word to me and I really didn't understand what meant. It means to encourage someone...to empower them. That us exactly what the messengers we call "angels" do: encourage on the way.

Good news: just spoke with fr Barry. He is doing well and loves you. Things are going well. Even better: he will stay on when I return and continue to help out with the Masses. I know that so many of you have expressed your gratitude to him for his ministry. I want to thank him for stepping up to the plate and leading our community as administrator.
Buen camino. Padre