As I prepare to walk the Camino, I’m noticing how easy it is to focus on the what of walking — what to bring, what shoes to wear, what route to take, how many kilometers to cover.
But beneath all of that, there’s another question rising in me—one that feels even more important:
How will I walk?
Not just physically.
But spiritually. Intentionally. Prayerfully.
Because this isn’t just a journey for the body.
It’s a journey of the soul.
Why Intention Matters
We live in a culture that prizes speed, metrics, efficiency.
How far? How fast? What did I accomplish?
But the Camino invites a different way—a slower, more deliberate rhythm.
It doesn’t ask, “What did you produce?”
It asks, “What did you notice? What did you receive?”
To walk with intention is to choose presence over pace.
It’s to allow the trail to become a place of communion — with God, with the earth, with others, and with our own breath.
Practicing a Prayerful Pace
As I walk my local trails in preparation, I’ve started adding a small practice:
Before each walk, I pause.
I ask:
- What am I walking with today — joy? fatigue? worry?
- Who am I walking for—someone who needs prayer, someone I carry in my heart?
- What might God be trying to show me if I simply slowed down enough to see?
Sometimes the answers are clear.
Sometimes they aren’t.
But the pause changes everything.
It shifts the walk from a task into a prayer.
The Invitation
Whether you’re preparing for pilgrimage or simply navigating the day-to-day rhythms of life, I invite you to ask:
How will I walk today?
What will I bring into the journey — not in my pack, but in my heart?
Thanks for walking this path with me.
Buen Camino,
Fr. Don+
A Prayer for Walking with Intention
Gracious and guiding God,
Before I take this step, I pause.
Before I begin this walk, I listen.
Help me to walk not just to get somewhere—
but to be here, now, with You.
Let this journey be more than movement.
Let it be prayer.
Let it be presence.
Let it be peace.
May my pace be unhurried.
May my heart be open.
And may my steps be shaped by grace.
Amen.
Walking Intentionally: A Practice to Begin the Day
Before setting out, pause for one minute and ask:
- What am I bringing with me today?
(A hope? A burden? A person on your heart?) - What do I need to let go of before I begin?
(A worry? A distraction? An expectation?) - Where might I meet God along the path?
(In a stranger’s smile? In silence? In the beauty around me?)
Then take a breath.
And begin the walk—aware, open, and held in grace.