Post 9/11 comments

[Rosina Lila]

Hello you all,
Please indulge me in a personal sentimental moment:
I'd gotten back to New York from the Camino only three days before 9/11. Many
of us who live within a stone's throw of the site of the events, and who
witnessed them in full, went into some sort of emotional paralysis (shock?)
for the first few days and then became immersed, almost round the clock, in
activities meant to be helpful to the victims, and the victims' families,
such as investigative and processing work for hundreds and hundreds of death
certificates and for a great number of varied and exacting aid applications.
Those hurried, and sometimes frantic, activities probably masked our sorrow
and precluded the full impact of simple grief.
    It wasn.t until I read the messages published by the Archdiocese that I,
for one, felt the pent-up sadness break out and dissolve in a torrent of
backed-up tears.  The very human simplicity of the messages brought forth, in
me, the human aspect of the tragedy in our neighborhood and its infinite and
enduring sadness.

    Caveat: the messages were originally written in English, then translated
into Spanish and now translated back into English; if some of the poignancy
is missing I am sure that the fault lies in my translation.  Here are the
comments:

    "I began walking the Camino a week ago -the day of the tragedy of
September 11. Being from the United States I felt an immense blow in
receiving the terrible news from my country. I did not know what to think, or
what to feel, but the faith and the strength of the people around me in the
Camino gave me strength. For this I give thanks."  E.K. 9/18/01

    "I give thanks to Almighty God for this opportunity to complete my
pilgrimage to Santiago.  I am thankful for all the graces received in my life
and ask forgiveness for all the errors that I have committed and for the life
opportunities which have been offered to me and which I have squandered.  May
the Lord make me an instrument of His peace and love.  The Camino has made me
re-seed my life.  Thank you, my God."  K.B. 9/18/01

    "Taking the time to reflect and to know better the world and God's people
has helped me understand life better in this so very sad moments. Peace."
A.C. 9/30/01

    "I thought I would lack faith. But following the steps of the millions of
pilgrims of all the time gives me the sensation of having put the crumbs in
place. These crumbs reunited make a new whole Christian man. Thank you my
Lord for this honor.  I am free!".  M.V. 10/3/01

    "Just as we had expected the pilgrimage has brought us nearer to Christ.
We have felt His nearness every day as we contemplated the beauty of His
work.  We took time in the Camino to work as albergue keepers as a form of
gratitude and to give back some of the abundances received. We felt that
being of service to other pilgrims was as important, if not more, than our
own walking of the Camino.  Today we cried at Mass. Our Lady has led us to
Santiago de Compostela in safety. Yesterday, as dusk approached and the last
rays of the sun illuminated the statue of St. James we understood why he had
been sent (to Santiago), just as we understood why we have come.  Thank you."
 Paul & Jaqueline M. 11/10/01.

Warm regards,

Rosina