The rain in Catalunya...

The Montserrat mountain passes are a challenge for walkers and bloggers alike.  No proper internet connection hence a pause in blogging the last 36 hours.  But here we are now at the great monastery of Montserrat where Ignatius gave himself in indifferent service to Christ after 3 days of prayer and sleepless nights.  We're spending just today here for a much needed quiet day, to pray and reflect on where we are on our life's journey but also to allow our bodies to recover a bit from walking 110 km up and down the hills.  Another different day, just as every day has been different.  Hot sun, woodlands, straight roads, winding roads, wind, thunder storm, and, defying Professor Higgins' dictum, rain, rain, driving rain in the mountains, making Spain in September more reminiscent of my Cumbrian childhood than What we imagine.  But we've got here.  And this is not exactly Spain - maybe not at all many who live here would say - it's beautiful Catalunya in all its varied landscape, leading us through verdant pastures, uphill, downhill, all vegetation (see the photos inspired by our botanical expert Fr Trieu and Marie's and Sandra's artistic and photographic skills), all weathers, motorways, pilons, trucks and truckstop cafes.  All things ordinary and extraordinary in God's creation.   

It's wonderful to be here in this place known as one of great spiritual presence.  And to have time to reflect on Ignatius' own journey to know the presence of God in all things, ordinary, transcendent, struggle, achievement, joy, peace.  And to honour Our Lady whom I think must have taught him so much about how to follow her son who follows her generosity in holding out his hand in an embrace of all God's creation, in hard times when we cannot respond as fully as we can to the angel's call, in the persevering every day, in the brighter moments of Magnificat clarity, even through cross, tomb and darkness.  

So, whoever is reading this, know our prayers in this holy place, and we ask you to join our prayers here for all those most in need, for migrants and refugees, those who have the responsibility for making decisions on our current crisis in Europe, for trafficked women and men.  

If you can give to Project Bakhita it will go to the initial development of this wonderful work of the Church in London through which trafficked women and men are brought to safety through the professional services of a dedicated team in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office.  But this campaign is about so much more than money.  It aims to spread awareness of the evil going on under our noses through the exploitation of new migrants in our country and to raise prayers.  

Our Lady of Montserrat, pray for us.