A year of pilgrimage brings difficult answers

A 10-part series of articles on the pilgrimages I have made this year on land and in the soul.

PART 4- Spain- a nation at risk of losing its Catholic soul

In my European trip, I visited 3 countries, but you wouldn't know that by looking at my passport. We drove across the border from Portugal, and we did not even slow down. There was no check stop, no border patrol and no one even asked us if we had passports, much less asked to see them. Can this be anything but a ticking time bomb? How can you possibly keep a country safe if you don't even care who is coming into it?

How can you leave such a treasure chest open wide to people who may have bad intentions?

Of course, France, England and the United States are struggling with the same thing.

In Salamanca, I struggled with bad back pain and dehydration virtually the whole day but still got some good pictures. Here is a sampling.

With Salamanca and Burgos as bookends, the highlight of Spain was Albe De Tormes, Avila and Loyola.

Albe De Tormes was the city where Saint Theresa of Avila died. In fact, this was the very room, a replica lying where she did.

Celebrating Mass in the room next to the sacred room of the saint's death was one of the solemn highlights of this trip. Saint Theresa of Avila was a pistol. She was a tell-it-like-it-is straight shooter that held nothing back. My favorite quote from her was the admonition;

When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.

That is pure gold.

Avila was the place of her birth and the experience of it was as if going to Camelot.

Loyola was much the same and we celebrated Mass in the room next to the miraculous conversion of Saint Ignatius. In fact, here is a short video showing the majesty of the Basilica in Loyola, followed by some pictures.

With Spain trying so hard to imitate America, it is truly scary to imagine that this country could lose its priceless Catholic identity. The country didn't just give us Saint Theresa of Avila and Ignatius of Loyola but many other Saints as well such as Saint John of Avila and Saint John of the Cross.

Of course, probably the most historic Catholic destination of Spain is the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela which is the destination of the Camini de Santiago pilgrimage that retraces the route of Saint James.

This was not part of our trip but we ran into a few people heading to it. This tradition cannot die. We must pray for Catholic zeal to take hold of Spain again.