In the early days of walking the Camino, it’s easy to think the goal is distance.
Get to the next town.
Reach the next landmark.
Make good time.
But then something shifts.
Your legs grow tired. Your feet start to ache.
And suddenly, the focus changes — from arriving to being.
One of the most surprising lessons of pilgrimage is this:
You need to slow down — not just for your body, but for your soul.
There’s a kind of rush we carry even into sacred spaces. A pressure to keep moving, to prove we’re “doing it right.” But the Camino teaches another way.
It says: Breathe.
Listen.
Be present.
The crunch of gravel underfoot.
The glance of a fellow pilgrim.
The quiet sound of your own thoughts, finally heard.
Psalm 71 says, “You have taught me from my youth… and to this day I declare your wondrous works.”
But those works don’t only appear in the finish line or the mountain-top moment.
They’re found in the small, quiet places — when we slow down enough to see them.
We don’t need to rush to meet God.
We need to recognize that God is already here — along the path, in the pause, in the pace of grace.
So here’s today’s invitation, as the journey unfolds:
Learn to walk slower.
Let your rhythm be set by grace, not pressure.
Let your walk be a practice of presence.
Because the point of pilgrimage isn’t just to get somewhere.
It’s to be here — heart open, eyes lifted, soul awake.
Pilgrim’s Prayer: For a Slower Walk
Holy One,
Teach me to walk with intention,
not with hurry.
When I rush ahead,
slow my steps.
When I strive to prove something,
remind me that I’m already loved.
Let the road be more than a route—
let it be a teacher.
May I find You
not just in the destination,
but in every step that leads me there.
Amen.