Mercifully, the rain held off yesterday until the last half hour of the 31 km walk. The first 25 km were pretty straightforward, the last 6 km entailed climbing up the side of a 700m mountain. Needless to say, we were pretty tired when we arrived at O'Cebreiro. We have definitely entered the province of Galicia.
The central feature of the little mountain town of O'Cebreiro is the little pre-romanesque parish church, which houses a protective glass case a twelfth-century chalice and paten, the cup and small plate used for the bread and wine consecrated in the Mass. The story goes that sometime in about the fourteenth century a peasant from a neighboring village struggled through a terrible winter storm to O Cebreiro, risking his life to do so, for the sole reason that he desired to attend Mass and receive communion. The priest presiding at the Mass, a man of little faith, found this altogether too much, for he did not value the Eucharist nearly as much as did the peasant. As the peasant approached proached to receive communion, the priest cynically looked down on him for the faith and devotion that led him to risk his life just to participate in the Mass. At that very moment, the moment when he said, "This is my body ... this is my blood ..." and before the doubting priest's own eyes and in his own hands, the consecrated wine held in the priest's chalice turned into physical blood and the consecrated host on his paten became physical flesh, the very body and blood of Christ. This was clearly a divine rebuke of his cynicism, his lack of faith, and his arrogance toward a humble peasant who in fact was far richer in faith than was he. The priest repented of his spiritual callousness, and according to tradition both men are now buried together in the small side chapel where the chalice and paten are held. Their common tomb endures as a reminder not only to believe but also to walk away from the cold cynicism and haughty arrogance that are the handmaids of a desiccated faith. A lit a candle there for the sanctification of all priests, and especially those of our diocese.
