Day 8 on the Camino Way

This represents what some folks think of my writings, and I can see it both ways. There is a lot of bull that gets slung in these posts, but it also takes balls to put yourself out there.

Speaking of Bull

When you think about the development of Christianity in the 1st Century you need to consider how much of it was developed while walking. Paul, Peter, and even John did more then their share of traveling on foot. And as they did they talked about what had happened to them while Jesus was around. Also, I expect they pondered what it all meant, especially the scandal of the cross and the wonder of the resurrection.

But I also wonder how much of their talk was just pure bull. Did they laugh a lot, tell wild stories that never made it into their writings, much less the Gospels? I feel as if there had to be things that happen with Jesus that were outrageously funny, but not suited for publication. And what about thoughts and theories that were way out in right field? Did they have any of those? And if they had far out opinions, how did they temper them? Dreaming dreams and seeing visions is crazy stuff, isn’t it?

As we walk the Camino, we talk. Remember, we are a bunch who are not shy to share our opinions. And we have a real life Doctor of Theology with us. She knows stuff.

Of Course, Mary Showed UP!

As we sloughed along on today’s arduous 18-mile walk, we talked about Mary. In particular we discussed the Virgin Birth. How come only Luke mentions it?—although one of us argued that both Matthew and John hint at it. (Personally I thought this guy had a really good point.) Why doesn’t Paul or Peter or James or John, and whomever else wrote the letters, ever mention the Virgin Birth? Didn’t they know about it? Perhaps they knew about the idea of it, but rejected it.

Maybe it didn’t fit with the message they were trying to bring to their fellow Jews. I mean, the cross was a big enough pill for Jews to swallow, but God siring a son—too much?

We passed several miles deep in this conversation. For all that time I totally forgot about the pain in my right side. Why is that? Who knows, right? But maybe having the opportunity in a safe environment to raise questions and put out ideas is intoxicating, healing even. Maybe it’s something for which we all hunger. And just maybe we’d forget about the painful distractions in our lives if we were safe—at least for a little while.

No one Dug in!

These sheep were part of a large flock munching on leftover wheat or oats—we’re not completely sure which—wheat or oats, I mean. Sheep follow very well. Our little band of travelers are not sheep—more goats. We are independent thinkers. In the end we didn’t all land in the same place on the matter of Mary’s Immaculate Conception.

But the good Doctor of Theology gave me pause. She said that her theological training was to take a position and then defend it. And, she added, this was a hard habit to break. I get that. And I think this is a huge problem among Christians today. We have all dug in on positions about almost everything and now we make some of the most ridiculous arguments to defend those positions.

For an example, before coming I read an article that argued that the main reason the world was approaching anarchy was women in leadership. Seriously—it’s the women’s fault? No, he declared, men were to blame for not stepping up. So, it’s the men’s fault?

What if we didn’t have to be right about anything, and I do mean anything. I wonder how creative our thinking could get if we spent less time defending positions taken, and more time knocking around new ideas about old thoughts.

Honestly, I think that is how the Jesus movement began. But, I could be wrong!

Nothing New Here, My Friends

Christianity was hammered out on the road, and in small family rooms, and along river banks, and in synagogues, and in a bunch of other places where curious folks gathered to talk and to listen.

Who’s Was First?

What I’m pointing at is a wooden, make-shift cross on a fence between the Camino trail and a busy highway. There were hundreds of them along a 200 yard line. I wondered who put up the first one. And what is it about the cross that makes it such an important symbol?

That’s my wrist, by the way. Maybe we’ll talk about the cross today. Let me conclude this bunch of bull with Mary. No matter where you are with the Virgin Birth, I would challenge you to think about what kind of mother raises not one, but two sons, who were so dangerous to the powers of their day that they had to be killed? No gentle mother, this Mary. Fierce, I think more likely.

And that my friends, is why I love Mary.