Rabanal Spain. October 27, 2012 To Be Unburdened

Walked into Rabanal Spain and encountered a small table with small rocks spread over the tabletop. Each rich had something painted on it, like a cross or "buen camino." A few towns down the way is a shrine with a large, tall column, topped by a simple cross. It is tradition to bring a small rock, read or say a prayer, and place the rock on a growing pile of other rocks. A beautiful tradition of letting go of burdens, symbolized by the rock.

I have three "beautiful " rocks in front of me, which you can see by the enclosed photo. A friend actually gave me a small rock to place at the shrine of the cross, but I lost the rock in the backpack shuffle. So, one of the rocks is for him and his wonderful family, the second is for you, whoever is reading this, the third...well, I don't know who the third is for; I just happened to pick up three.

We all face burdens in life: "come to me all you who are burdened..." words of Jesus to each one of us. Burdens come in many shapes and sizes: loneliness, bitterness, emptiness, fear, medical problems, consistently unmet needs and the list goes on.
Each rich is a symbol of each burden we carry in hearts that can seem to weigh what a scale could never register. Christ carries EVERY burden of ours in his cross. But we forget what follows and completes the cross: Resurrection...freedom. The Spirit fills us and lifts our heavy hearts out of the burden, perhaps for a moment. Perhaps forever...
But we must keep walking forward on the path chosen for us by God. In moving forward and accepting what can't be changed and doing what we can to change those realities that can be changed , the burdens are lightened if not extinguished.
My prayer is for each one of your hearts to be lightened , unburdened, only to be filled with Joy. Buen camino

Padre