Distance: 20.3 km
This is the final stretch! You’ll note the final distance (20.3km) doesn’t come with a label (Easy, Intermediate, or Expert). It simply is, because no matter how difficult it is, we must complete it to reach our destination.
Having followed the scallop shells this far and by putting one foot in front of the other, we arrive at our destination: The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
As we near the conclusion of our journey, there is much to make an account of: the prayers we’ve prayed, the miles we’ve walked, the things we’ve learned. Our emotions too may be mixed: maybe we feel accomplished, maybe we feel like we could have done more, maybe we missed a couple of reflections along the way.
If that is the case, go back and revisit something you missed or a reflection that was particularly resonant.
This after all is what the disciples did as they came to (what seemed to be) the end of their journey on the road to Emmaus. They talked about all they had seen and done, the things that were confusing, the feelings that were unclear, the hopes that fell short.
Today as we near the end of our journey, read the story of the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Talk with Jesus about the hopes that have fallen short in your life and also share the times that your heart has burned within you. How do you think God sees and feels these things? Is there something in your journey that is beckoning you to return, to tend the flame of the faith it contains?