Spiritual poverty on the Way of Santiago; Louise de Marillac and the journey in search of the truth
Spiritual poverty on the Way of Santiago; Louise de Marillac and the journey in search of the truth
On the occasion of the feast of Saint Louise de Marillac, it is surprising and beautiful to read some of her letters, and to see that her wishes and plans are of great relevance today.
The human being is insatiable in many aspects; one of them is the desire to SEARCH for the TRUTH, and therefore SEARCH for GOD, since He is THE TRUTH. There are certainly different ways to do this; various practices were promoted in different stages of history, but making PILGRIMAGE is very ancient in the history of humanity and all civilizations.
Saint Louise expressed the desire to make a pilgrimage to CHARTRES, to Saint Vincent in the month of September 1633, but Saint Vincent did not find the right time for her to make it until October 14, 1644, at the age of 53. She, like so many current pilgrims, carried great concerns in her heart and wanted to present Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, the nascent Little Company. Concerned about “the great spiritual poverty” of her time, she set out to gather young women without the permission of the parish priest.
We can imagine how Louise would take advantage of that multitude of pilgrims from all over the world who pass through our Communities today, and in which we offer them fraternal welcome and listening. With them we pray and together we praise God for Mary.
In the courtyard of Carrión de los Condes (Spain), the Chartres labyrinth was drawn so that the pilgrim, even in rest time, will remember the meaning of his WALKING, which is connected to the pilgrim’s experience and makes it easier for us to make Louise de Marillac known in this 400th anniversary of her Light of Pentecost.
A young pilgrim expressed to us one day her desire to paint the gate of the Espiritu Santo Hostel in Carrión de los Condes and asked for permission to capture what the Camino was meaning for her. “…I have grown up in a totally materialistic family, along the way I have felt that my heart has awakened to a spirituality, I am going to draw a heart with a seed, which I wish to grow in me”.
What deep experiences the pilgrims also feel in Rabé de las Calzadas, when the Sisters offer them and “impose” the Medal on them. Many of them, just as it was one day in Paris, consider it to have been a “miracle.” Open to the Spirit of God, these pilgrims are awestruck and ask for a blessing, continuing on their path with grateful hearts.
Pilgrims come to Spain from all over the world, but we wish to highlight the increasing presence of pilgrims from SOUTH KOREA. We are amazed by their search, their spiritual thirst, their conversions. They often walk in perfectly organized and coordinated groups, in which they also value music and prayer.
We therefore make a CALL to the entire VINCENTIAN FAMILY spread throughout the world, so that together, we can respond to this great current poverty (spiritual poverty). May this Pentecost enlighten us, as it did for Saint Louise! We also suggest that a Korean Sister can come temporarily to help us satisfy so much thirst.
(Team of Sisters on the WAY).
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I remember well this stop on my Camino. The Sisters were wonderful. I don’t remember the labyrinth but I was there 11 years ago.