Via Crucis in Los Boliches

This morning, I drove into Los Boliches for the first of my Lent Course sessions to the sound of the Fauré Requiem on RNE Classico. The keen east wind was whipping the bright blue sea into a host of foam topped waves breaking on the shore, a beautiful sight. It seemed just right as a backdrop to the music. There were only half a dozen of us present, perhaps more next week, as in the afternoon people would be turning out for the annual Womens' World Day of Prayer, and few were willing to come twice in a day.

The afternoon service, devised by Christians in Egypt was attended by over forty people, and beautifully presented. Lay Reader Caroline preached an excellent and insightful sermon for the occasion, and yet again, there was tea and cake to follow.

I stayed on after the service to take part in the parish Stations of the Cross, walking through the streets of the barrio, to and from the church, with team of local cofridia members carrying the statue of Jesús cautivo -  Jesus bound - to which their confraternity is dedicated.

I believe this image depicts Jesus standing before Pilate for judgement - the subject of the first Station of the Via Crucis. It truly was an all-age-service, both from the perspective of the crowd of a couple of hundred followers, and those leading the procession.

There were junior and middle school children as servers and thurifers - girls and boys, teenagers carring the fourteen placards bearing images of the Stations, the singing of popular hymns while we walked, led by the older women with confident voices. (Did they sing flamenco as well, I wondered.).

Eighteen men, mostly young, in black suits carryied the trona on which Jesús cautivo stood, laity men and women taking turns to introduce a Station and lead prayers. Only very occasionally did the priest do anything more than preside. In fact the whole thing was organised in a manner that meant it could be carried out if there was no priest. That's a real tribute to the nature of community in Catholic Spain today. It's all possible because, however secular some aspects of Spanish life are today, this kind of social solidarity, deeply rooted in Christian faith, is still valued. It was a very moving expression of parochial solidarity and co-operation. I took lots of photos and could still join in prayers familiar to me in English. 

Although I was tired, cold and hungry at the end of a long day, I stayed right to the end, absorbed by an experience that is so much part of the normality of life here, not at all a cultural feature for tourists, many of whom were watching from bar or restaurant as we passed them by. My new Sony HX50 on Auto settings did well to capture a few pictures I'm quite pleased with. With more experience of working with the camera's various layers of settings, I should be able to improve the quality of images, and maybe reduce motion blur. Hopefully there will be more opportunities of this kind in weeks to come. You can see the rest of my efforts here

    

Consolations of recuperation

It´s great to be free of the trapped nerve and have more predictable general mobility. It now only takes me a minute or so to get from horizontal to vertical. There's no escaping pain from the consequential inflammation in my lower back, and I have to move carefully to avoid spasms.  During the night when I woke up and got out of bed I made sure to do a few Chi Gung exercises and walk around for a while to keep as loosened up as possible. The spasms are slowly becoming less intense and frequent, so I was able to put some washing through the machine and hang it to dry without incident. The weather is mild and sunny, a comfortable fiteen degrees. Pretty good for the last week in February.

The last few days of crisis management, have led to a complete break in personal routine. I have been unable to focus on formal prayer of any kind, even the habitual recitation of the Divine Office. Fragments of thoughts scriptural words and hymns drifted in and out of my mind like static on the telephone line. Despite my condition and circumstances, I felt quite safely held, free from fear. That was enough. Like when I had that debilitating 'flu the year before I retired, and was confined to bed for a week on my own over Christmas as I was too sick to travel to be wiht the family. Getting up today, being able to move and cope better, I returned to saying the Office, receiving once more that solace and refreshment routinely I take for granted.

After lunch I met with Churchwarden Bill for a drink and a chat in the stylish recently opened pasteleria near the covered market, then made for the office to prepare my Sunday sermon, developing the summary notes on the theme and readings which I prepared for the lay worship assistants to use in their Sunday assignments. I'm pleased to have this task to perform, as it opens up interesting conversations with them. It reminds me of tutoring seminarian preachers at St Michaels', and of helping the lay assistants in Costa Azahar chaplaincy. There's great pleasure to be had in mentoring and encouraging others to grow their enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel with others. I'd be happy to do a lot more of this.

Rehearsals were going on in church this afternoon for the annual Womens' World Day of Prayer in two weeks time. The Egyptian Church prepared the service and it uses John 4, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well. When I heard a couple of them practicing the dialogue I was taken back to my time as chaplain in Monaco when John 4 was used for an ecumenical service for Christian Unity there. The constant presence of scripture as a golden thread running through life connects wonderfully to memories of so many different times and places. Life would be so flat and dull, living entirely in the here and now without perspectives.