Camino de Santiago: Pilgrim's Progress

Greetings from Santiago de Compostela! I finally arrived here at 10 am yesterday after hiking almost 800 km for 27 days starting at the Pyrenees mountains in France, across the plains of Northern Spain and the mountains of Galicia. I've done most of it barefoot, but I also wore my sandals when the trails and roads got harsh and hot especially in the afternoons. The last week week in the Galician region was easier for barefoot hiking due to the cooler climate and a lot forest cover.
The last 3 days was for me an experience of agony and ecstasy. It was agonizing because my right ankle and shin was very painful while hiking through the beautiful forest paths. I cried out to God to take the pain away. Finally the other day I felt a cold air from the ground entering my feet and the pain disappeared. I felt the intimate presence of Someone whom I engaged in a dialogue within my heart. I was crying in the middle of the forest savoring the experience.
Yesterday at 2:30 in the morning I started hiking barefoot to Santiago de Compostella without any pain in my ankle and shin. I gazed at the dark sky and saw the stars. I began to understand the meaning of Compostela - the field of stars. I walked very slowly, savoring every step, knowing this was the last day of my hiking pilgrimage. I reached Santiago at 10 am and lined up outside the Pilgrim's Office. When the pilgrims saw me barefoot they clapped their hands and allowed me to get ahead of the line to get my pilgrim's certificate. I followed Fr. Alessandro - an Italian pilgrim priest I got to know along the way. I was welcomed by John Rafferty at the office who kindly took care of my accomodation for the night and escorted Alessandro and me to the sacristy of the cathedral so that we can concelebrate at the noonday mass. I heard confession before the mass and concelebrated barefoot. I put on my sandals after the mass.
In the evening I had dinner with other pilgrims who became my friends along the way- Ed & Letizia, Angela, David. We shared about our experiences until 11 pm.
This morning I walked barefoot around the center of the city and took a last look at the cathedral. I will be taking the train to Madrid at 1:55 this afternoon.
My pilgrimage has ended but my life's journey continues.
I hope to do this again when I make my Sabbatical 11 years from now during the Xacobeo.

Camino de Santiago: Pilgrim's Progress - The Pilgrim's Song

Yesterday, I hiked 37 km from El Burgo de Ranero to Leon. This is the longest distance that I have hiked since I started the Camino. I did the whole distance wearing my sandals so I was able to do it more quickly. While walking alone I reflected on my own life's journey focusing on the last 10 years.
I reached the Albergue in Leon by 3:30 pm and was able to get plenty of rest. I was able to meet some pilgrims whom I befriended the last two weeks. I joined some the pilgrims for dinner at a restaurant and we shared our experiences. After the evening prayer with the Benedictine sisters I sat near the garden drinking hot chocolate. A young Spanish woman who heard I am a priest approached me and asked me to hear her confession. I gladly said yes.
I started walking barefoot at 6:15 and after almost 5 hours the road became hotter and harsh so I finally wore my sandals. I was able to cover 27 km. I am now in Martin del Campo.

While hiking I sang the song I composed yesterday:

Pilgrim's Song

We are pilgrims on a journey
Across the mountains & plains of Spain
We're on our way to Santiago
To the field of stars.

Chorus:
Ultreia, onward do we go
Ultreia, to the tomb of St. James

We're hiking across the Pyrenees,
The mesetas and Galicia.
We do not mind the cold & the heat,
The blisters & the muscle pains.

Chorus:
Ultreia, onward do we go
Ulreia, to the city of St. James

As we make our own Camino
We are not all alone
We meet friends & companions
On the road & the albergues.

Chorus:
Ultreia, onward as we go.
Ultreia, to our final destiny.

We are pilgrims on a journey
Within our mind, heart & soul.
And we grow in the Spirit
In faith, hope & love.

Chorus:
Ultreia, onward as we go.
Ultreia, to our final destiny.

We are pilgrims in life`s journey

to our final destiny

to the home of our Father,

his Son and the Holy Spirit.

chorus:

Ultreia, onward do we go

Ultreia, to our final destiny

Camino de Santiago: Pilgrim´s Progress

Two weeks ago, I started my running/hiking pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela starting in St. Jean Pied the Port at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains. The day before, I had took the train from Madrid to Lourdes, France and after spending the night there proceeded to St. Jean.

The first two and a hal-days went very well. I was able to run/hike barefoot across the Pyrenees mountains and the Navarra region, up to Pamplona. The first day as easy due to a lot of grassy surface and and soft forest path. It was also cold up in the mountains. The second day was more agonizing due to the harsh gravel paths. The third day, I was able to hike barefoot up to Pamplona, but in the afternoon the road became too harsh and hot that I had to use my sandals for the first time.

Since the fourth day up to the present, I have done more hiking than running, and less barefoot trekking due to the heat and harsh road conditions. I have to use my sandals more often especially in the afternoons and also when confronted by long stretch of sharp gravel that would hurt my feet. For several days, I have been suffering from a swollen right ankle due to a sprain while running with my sandals. The only way to alleviate the pain is to hike barefoot. So these days I try to do more barefoot hiking, up to four to five hours in the morning before the summer heat is felt.

So far, I have been averaging 30 km per day. Today, I have done around 420 km since I started, more than half the length of the Camino.

The last two weeks on the road has been a time of solitude, prayer and reflection. It is indeed a retreat on foot. It is time of soul-searching, going over my life´s journey, and discerning God´s will for the years to come.

It has also been a time of experiencing friendship and community among other pilgrims, especially in the Albergues at night. I have also been able to celebrate the Eucharist and to listen to other pilgrims share their stories. I have also heard confession and gone to confession (to a fellow pilgrim-priest from Ireland.

Through out the past two weeks I have become acutely aware of the following:

1. My dependence on God´s providence and the kindness of others

2. My own limitations and weaknesses

3. The need to be more flexible, and not to rigidly hold on to my own plans and wants

4. The need to slow down, not to race, because life is not a race but a journey. The slower and relax I am, the more distance I can cover in one day.

5. The presence of God in the beauty I see around me and in other pilgrims I encounter on the way.

I still have 13 more days to go before I reach Santiago de Compostela. I am still at the Meseta - the hottest region in Spain. I hope that by the time I reach the mountains and Galician region where it is cooler, I can do more barefoot trekking. I am planning to do the last stage from Sarria to Santiago totally barefoot. Thus, I have reduced the average distance for those days to 24 km/day.

I continue to remember my loved ones, relatives, friends and confreres in my prayer. I pray and hope that I will reach my destination safely.

Departing for Spain to Begin my Running/Walking Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela

This morning, the summer course on Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue finally ended here in Rome. Tomorrow, I fly to Madrid for my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. I will spend a couple of days in Madrid and then take the train to Bayonne, France. I will make a side trip to Lourdes and from there go to St. Jean Pied de Port where I will begin my running/walking pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. As much as possible, I will cover the 800 km route barefoot like St. Francis and many medieval pilgrims. However, I have a lot of doubts if I can really do it. So, I will wear my sandals when the road gets too harsh or hot. I will be doing some running and also lots of walking breaks. The primary goal is reaching my destination on foot in 26 days and at the same time journeying inward. It will be a mobile spiritual retreat, involving meditation, reflection and prayer. It will also be accompanied by penitential acts (barefoot walking/running and fasting during the day, sleeping under the stars at night most of the time).

-

During the pilgrimage I will be praying for the following intentions:

(1) for healing - of several friends with cancer and for my own complete healing (hypertension, myocardial ischemia and atherosclerosis)

(2) for a deeper experience and awareness of God's presence in my life, stronger faith and ongoing personal conversion, and discovering God's will for me in the coming years.

(3) for peace in the Philippines (especially Mindanao), and that a final peace agreement will be reached between the Government and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), and the Government and the NDF (National Democratic Front).

(4) for the new administration of President Noynoy Aquino - that he will be able to lead the Filipino people in transforming Philippine society, get rid of corruption, bring about peace, justice and progress.

-

I am aware that this pilgrimage will be a time of grace. I rely on God's providence and the kindness of the strangers I will meet on the way.

-

This is my planned itinerary:

El Camino de Santiago de Compostela: Itinerary
(July 16, 2010 – Aug 10, 2010)

7/10 Sat: Rome- Madrid (plane)
7/11 Sun: Madrid
7/12 Mon: Madrid
7/13 Tues: Madrid-Lourdes (train)
7/14Wed: Lourdes
7/15 Thu: Lourdes-St. Jean Pied de Port (train)
-

7/16-8/10 - running/walking pilgrimage

-
7/16 Fri: St. Jean Pied de Port – Roncesvalles (27 k) albergue 6E
7/17 Sat: Roncesvalles – Larrasoana (27.6 ) albergue 6E
7/18 Sun: Larrasoana – Uterga (31.6) camping
7/19 Mon: Uterga– Ayegui (30.9) albergue 6E
7/20 Tue: Ayegui- Viana (36.9) albergue D
7/21Wed: Viana – Ventosa (27.8) camping
7/22Thu: Ventosa – Santo Domingo de la Calzada (31.5) albergue D/ or camping
7/23 Fri: Santo Domingo de la Calzada – Tosantos (28.1) algergue D
7/24 Sat: Tosantos – Cardenuela Rio Pico (31.2) camping
7/25 Sun: Cardenuela Rio Pico –Hornillos del Camino (33.7) albergue 5E
7/26 Hornillos del Camino – Itero de la Vega (30.7) albergue 3E
7/27 Tue: Mon: Itero de la Vega- Carrion de los Condes (32.7) camping
7/28 Wed: Carrion de los Condes – Moratinos (29.4) albergue D
7/29 Thu: Moratinos – El Burgo Ranero (27.2) albergue D
7/30 Fri: El Burgo Ranero – Arcahueja (29): camping
7/31 Sat: Arcahueja – Villar de Mazarife (31) albergue 7E
8/1 Sun: Villar de Mazarife – Astorga (29) Redemptorists
8/2 Mon: Astorga – Foncebadon (25.9) albergue D/camping
8/3 Tues: Foncebadon- Ponferrada (27.2) albergue D
8/4 Wed: Ponferrada-Trabadelo (32.3) albergue 6E
8/5 Thu: Trabadelo – Fonfria (30.4) camping
8/6 Fri: Fonfria- Sarria (33.6) camping
8/7 Sat: Sarria- Gonzar (30.5) albergue 5E or camping
8/8 Sun: Gonzar – Melide (31.3) camping
8/9 Mon: Melide – Santa Irene (30.7) albergue 5E or camping
8/10 Tue: Santa Irene – Santiago de Compostela (22.1) albergue 12 E
-
8/11 Wed: Santiago-Madrid
8/12 Thu: Madrid
8/13 Fri: Madrid-Rome

-

(I am not sure if I can blog regularly while on pilgrimage. Access to the internet will be limited)

Hiking in Ostia Antica and Back to Rome . The Second Journey

The second week of summer course on Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue ended last Friday. We have discussed so far the Vatican II documents of Ecumenism and the Catholic Church's dialogue with various Christian churches and ecclesial communities (Orthodox Churches, Anglican communion, Lutherans, and Pentecostal Movements, etc).

.

Yesterday was a free day so I decided to explore Ostia Antica - the ruins of an ancient Roman village at the mouth of the Tiber river. Originally, I was planning to hike there from Rome and take the train coming back. But I woke up late so I took the train going there and hiked back to Rome.

.

I reached Ostia Antica just before ten and explored the ancient village for more than two hours barefoot. I found it easy to walk barefoot on the ancient cobblestones and dirt road even as the temperature rose to 32 degrees celsius. I decided to rest by midday and ate the sandwich I brought. It was very quiet, there were very few tourists.

.

I was alone by myself and sat under a shade for over an hour meditating and reading a book I brought with me - "The Second Journey" written by Gerald O'Collins, SJ (my professor at the Gregorian University in Rome 17 years ago). He writes about the three journeys that we usually undertake in our life - the first journey (at the morning of our life -from childhood to adulthood), the second journey (at the noontime and afternoon of our life - midlife), the third journey (the evening of our life --old age).

.

O'Collins writes that the second journey may be undertaken by those who are 35-40 years old, while some do it later - when they are in their mid-50s or even as late as the 60s. The second journey is primarily an inner journey, but at times it is also accompanied by an outer journey: "It is the inner component which brings about a second journey. The external traveling has only a subordinate function. All the same, the shift from place to place appears to be a steady feature of authentic midlife journeys."

.

He further observes that the second journey involves the search for new meanings, fresh values and different goals. Persons on the second journey want more out of life.

O'Collins also writes that "people on second journeys repeatedly betray a deep sense of loneliness. This loneliness should eventually turn into the aloneness of a quiet and integrated self-possession. But before that happens, they will find themselves in Dante's "dark wood."

.

According to O'Collins the journey terminates with the arrival of new wisdom of a true adult.

"It is a wisdom of one who has regained equilibrium, stabilized and found fresh purposes and new dreams. It is the wisdom that gives some things up, let somethings die and accept human limitations. It is the wisdom that agrees, 'I cannot expect anyone to understand me fully.' It is the wisdom that has learned through suffering to live with human finitude and admit the inevitability of old age and death."

.

O'Collins uses the "pilgrimage" as the metaphor for the second journey. He writes that the second journeys end in two ways.

(1) the pilgrims reach a new place and a fresh commitment

(2) or else they return to their original place and commitment, only to reaffirm them in a new way.

.

For O'Collins, prayer is an essential component of this journey: "Those persons whose lives have been consciously touched by God will not readily come to journey's end without prayer. Only that can turn such persons from being mere vagrants into becoming genuine pilgrims. Nothing less than the deep experience of God can ensure that their second journey will lead somewhere in the end. It takes faithful praying to transform incoherent wanderings into a genuine midlife journey."

.

I was deeply touched, reading these lines. It seems to describe where I am now. As I make my pilgrimage in Rome, in Lourdes and on the Camino de Santiago, I have become more aware of the second journey that I am undertaking.

.

At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, after this period of rest, meditation and spiritual reading, I hiked 30 km back to Rome - along the via Ostiense. I reached our place after eight in the evening.

Summer Course on Ecumenical and Interreligious Movements

The Centro Pro-Unione at Piaza Navona

Lectures and Discussion

At the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID)

with Msgr. Andrew Vishnu (undersecretary PCID)


We have just finished the first week of the summer course on Ecumenical and Interreligious Movements. This is being held at the Dora Pamphilia building just in front of Piaza Navona. There are 14 participants coming from the USA, France, Vietnam, India, Colombia, Philippines.

We usually have 3 lectures and discussion in the morning. The afternoons are mostly free, with some guided tours.

This is schedule we followed this week:



Monday June 21

I. Biblical Foundations (Puglisi)
II. Historical Overview of the factions/divisions with the church (Rossi)
III. Eastern Christianity


Tuesday June 22

I. Reading of Ecumenical Texts (Rossi)
II. Reformation (Loughran)
III. Concept of Reception in the Ecumenical Movement (McDonald)

Wednesday June 23

I. Radical Reformation (Puglisi)
II. Anglicanism (McDonald)
III. Catholic Reformation (Loughran)


Thursday June 24

Morning spent at the offices of the Pontifical Council for Promotion of Christian Unity (Bishop O'Farrell) and at the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Msgr. Andrew Vishnu).


Friday June 25

I. World Council of Churches (Rossi)
II. Models of Unity (McDonald)
III. Week's Summary/Discussion (Staff)

The Pilgrim at St. Peter's Basilica

I was at St. Peter's Basilica yesterday afternoon - together with the participants of the summer course on Ecumenical and Interreligious Movements. I've been here so many times before and it's good to be back - after 15 years. There were a lot of people - but it was difficult to distinguish the tourists from the pilgrims. Well, one can be both.

-

The most moving experience for me was going below the basilica and visiting the tomb of St. Peter and the other popes, especially John Paul II and John XXIII - my favorite popes. I said prayer before their tombs. Unfortunately, taking pictures of the tombs was prohibited.

-

I believe that what matters most is visiting the tomb of St. Peter and the popes after a long journey, and not just seeing the beautiful basilica and the works of art of Michaelangelo and Bernini.

-

In the middle ages, there were three major centers of pilgrimage - Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela (Spain) . Pilgrims would often go on a long journey - usually on foot - to reach these places. Now, it is easier and faster to get to these places. And it is difficult to distinguish the tourists and the pilgrims. At least at the Santiago de Compostela only those who have journeyed on foot (at least 100 km) or by bicycle (at least 200 km) can get the pilgrim's certificate. This is what I will be doing next month - journeying barefoot along the 800 km trail of the Camino Frances starting at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains and ending at the cathedral where St. James is believed to be entombed.

-

In a pilgrimage, what matters is not just the destination but the journey. The journey is both inner/spiritual and physical/geographical. The long physical/geographical journey moves the pilgrim to an inner/spiritual journey. This means moving at a slow, relax pace. There is no need to rush.

Barefoot Pilgrim in Assisi

the old road to Assisi from the train station

outside the Basilica of St. Francis

tomb of St. Francis

the view from the Basilica of St. Claire

resting at San Damiano

the tomb of St. Claire

.

At 7:43 this morning I took the train to Assisi. By 10:15 we were already at the Assisi train station which was still 3 km to the old town. Instead of taking the bus, I just walked up. It was quite cold when I reached the Basilica of St. Francis and was in time for the mass. After the mass, I prayed before the tomb of St. Francis. I prayed for his intercession -that I will be able to run/walk barefoot on the Camino de Santiago in Spain next month - following his example.

.

After the mass, I walked around the town of Assisi - visiting the Basilica of St. Clare and the church/convent of San Damiano. Walking barefoot on the streets of Assisi was very pleasant, the pavement was smooth - except the rough road to San Damiano. I was very conscious of the fact that this was the same road that Francis and his followers walked on - barefoot.

.

I visited the room where St. Clare died and also her tomb. I prayed for a very special intention, remembering a special friend who is now in a Poor Clare monastery very far away and whom I have not seen for over 5 years.

.

It rained in the afternoon but I kept on walking around town. At 4 pm, I walked back to the train station to catch the last train back to Rome.

.

Being in Assisi brought back memories of the last time I was here - in 1994. Instead of taking the train from Rome to Assisi, I walked for six days carrying a backpack and tent, sleeping under the stars at night, and reaching Assisi on the Feast of St. Clare. I slept at the doorstep of the basilica of St. Clare that night and the following day took the train back to Rome. It was after that experience that I dreamed of walking on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela someday. This dream will become a reality next month.

Barefoot Running in Rome

I arrived here in Rome yesterday morning. After a couple of hours of rest, I went out for a 4-hour walk around the city and came back in time for the mass at the shrine of our Mother of Perpetual Help in the afternoon. I went to bed early, trying to shake the jet lag.

Very early this morning I ran for two hours along my favorite running route - the colosseum, Terme de Caracalla, Circo Massimo, Capitoline hill, etc. I was filled with memories of the runs I did here during the four years that I was studying in Rome (1991-1995). This was also where I trained and ran the marathon in 1995. The same beautiful view - what is different is that I am 15-19 years older and I am doing it barefoot (which I thought would have been impossible then). There was only one runner who ran barefoot in Rome before - during the Rome Olympics in 1960 - and this was Abebe Bikila, the Ethiopian runner who won the marathon. So this morning, I felt that I was running in the footsteps of Abebe Bikila. Now I can feel the freedom and the joy of running barefoot. Running on the ancient cobblestones is not really difficult or painful. So this is what I will be doing everyday while I am in Rome for a month. This is my final training for my 800 km running/walking pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain next month.

The Pilgrim's Journey Begins

After spending four weeks as a hermit in the mountain of Busay overlooking the city of Cebu, I finally descended the other day. My journey as a pilgrim is about to start. I will be leaving for the airport a few minutes from now. In a couple of hours I will be taking the flight to Rome, Italy.

It's been 15 years since I left Rome after finishing my doctorate at the Gregorian University in 1995 . I will be returning as a pilgrim to the city which I love so much - bella Roma! I will also attend a summer workshop on Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue.

From Rome, I fly to Madrid on July 10 and from there find my way to the French village of St. Jean Pied a Port at the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains where I will begin my 800 km running/walking pilgrimage across Northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. I'm excited and also filled with anxiety, wondering if I can - like Francis of Assisi- do the pilgrimage barefoot. I brought my pair sandals, in case the temperature rises over 35*C and the road becomes scorching hot and I will have to use it until it is safe to walk barefoot again. But definitely no shoes. I am relying on Divine Providence to enable me to complete my journey safely. I am also bringing my ultralight tent so that I can sleep under the stars.

Rome & Santiago de Compostela - here I come! Buen Camino!

The Wildman & the Pilgrim: Archetypes for a Masculine Spirituality

I've been living as a hermit for almost three weeks on top of this mountain overlooking the city of Cebu. I spend most of my time relaxing, reflecting about my life, praying, fasting, reading, editing my book project, playing the flute and violin, practising Spanish, performing taichi, and finalizing my itinerary for the Camino de Santiago. Of course, I also run/walk barefoot 2-3 hours a day. There is a mini-forest nearby that I love to explore.
I am reading three books: To Care for the Earth (Sean McDonagh), God's Fool: Life & Times of Francis of Assisi (Julien Green), and Wildmen, Warriors & Kings: Masculine Spirituality & the Bible (Patrick Arnold).
According to Arnold there are 2 archetypes that symbolize the male drive for freedom and can be the basis for masculine spirituality: the Wildman & the Pilgrim. The most ancient male paradigm is the Wildman which represents man's primordial connections with nature. "He represents male earthiness, that grubby and gritty manly energy radically free."
The Pilgrim acts out the "sacred ritual over many days and across numerous miles ... recreating the essentials of his own hero journey. He has become the image in the psyche for all the leavings we must do in life, all the detaching and separation we must undergo in order to find our way again to new life, new challenges, and higher danger."
According to Arnold, Jesus integrated in his life the Wildman & the Pigrim besides other other male archetypes. St. Francis of Assisi also exemplied the Wildman & the Pilgrim.
As I reflect on my own life I realize that I am a Wildman & a Pilgrim at heart.
As a Wildman I have regularly set aside time to live as a part time hermit on top of this mountain for the last 30 years. I have climbed Mt. Apo (the highest mountain in the Philippines) seven times. I occasionally run/walk around Samal Island and sleep under the stars on the beach. When running/walking barefoot, I like the feel of the earth, rocks and grass which energize me. It is when I am close to nature that I can truly sense the Divine Presence.
I am also a Pilgrim at heart. I love to go on long journeys on foot or by bicycle. In 1994, I walked alone from Rome to Assisi for six days, sleeping under the stars at night. I biked for peace across the Philippines in 2000, around Israel in 2005, around Mindanao in 2006, and around the Philippines in 2008, covering over 5000 km in 56 days. A few months ago, I ran/ walked across the mountains of Mindanao, covering 390 km in 9 days. I can truly sense the Divine Presence on my long journeys.
The following months, I will once again live the life of the Pilgrim & Wildman. I am leaving Rome two weeks from now, after a month I go to the shrine of Our Lady Lourdes in France and then do my running/walking pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, starting at the foothills o the Pyrenees mountains, across Northern Spain, and ending in Santiago de Compostela. Like St. Francis of Assisi, I would like to do it barefoot. I will also be sleeping under the stars most of the time. After the pilgrimage I will come back here on this mountain and live as a hermit for two months before going back to Davao and resume my life as a professor, and a warrior for peace, life & the environment.

Training for the Camino de Santiago : Barefoot Running

I started running at nine this morning. As usual, I did it barefoot. This time I did not find it difficult going up and down the peak of the RCPI mountain even if the rocks were so sharp that I felt I was running on broken glass. I just imagined myself going up and down the the Pyrenees mountains. By 10 am, the scorching rough road was still bearable. But once I reached the asphalt highway at 11:30 I had to wear my sandals or risk getting blisters on the soles of my feet. I finally reached my 'hermitage' at 12:50 pm.

I just hope that there won't be a lot of asphalt section on the Camino de Santiago.
I doubt if I can run/walk barefoot the entire 800 km length of the Camino across Nothern Spain. I will be doing it during summer when the temperature can rise up to 40C. Maybe 3 hrs barefoot in the morning will be realistic unless the skies are cloudy or the path will be lined with trees. I wonder how St. Francis and the medieval pilgims could walk the whole way. Perhaps, it would be easier during Spring or Fall.

I have been running up and down this mountain since 1980, but I've never done this barefoot previously. I wouldn't have imagined myself doing it. I thought only Kenyan runners could do it in Africa. Now, I enjoy doing it and I can even run barefoot 2-3 hours a day. I owe it to Christopher McDougal's book 'Born to Run' which made me realize that we humans are designed to run without shoes. Running barefoot taught me how to run with the correct form (forefoot landing, bent knees, shorter stride). I also learned listen to my body and feet, and focus on the surface ahead of me. This has made running more enjoyable and injury free.

The Barefoot Running Hermit

Once again, I am living the life on a hermit on top of the mountain in Busay, overlooking the city of Cebu. This is what I do during summer breaks every year, and this is where I spent 5 months in 2005. I am spending four weeks here before leaving next month for my pilgrimage to Rome, Lourdes (France) and the Camino de Santiago (Spain). When I come back at the last week of August, I will spend the last two months of my sabbatical as a hermit.

This is a time for solitude, silence, prayer and reflection. A time for reading and writing. A time for fasting (one light meal a day at night).

It is also a time for running/walking along the mountain trails (2-3 hours a day). This time, I am doing most of my running without sh0es - barefoot and I am enjoying it. The soles of my feet are getting thicker. The only problem is running on scorching cement or asphalt road after 9 am. I wear my sandals or Vibram Five-fingers when the heat becomes unbearable.

I run down to the Redemptorist monastery on Sundays to have a good meal with the confreres and also to get my food supply for the week. This is the only day when I have a hearty lunch and dinner. Tomorrow, I run up to the mountain again.

I only have two months before my running/walking pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. This time in the mountain as a hermit is part of my preparation - spiritual and physical.

Philippine Elections 2010: Endorsement of Candidates by Religious Leaders

While over 40 million Filipinos went to their polling places to vote for the national and local leaders, I was in the Italian Embassy in Manila being interviewed for my visa application. My polling precinct is in Davao so it was impossible for me to vote. Anyway, I already left Davao on April 27 and I will return there six months from now after my Sabbatical.

I would have voted for Noynoy Aquino for president. Instead I just prayed that there will be no failure of elections and that Noynoy will win. Among the candidates, I believe that he is the one who has the leadership qualities and capability to lead this nation for the next six years.

Unlike Pastor Quiboloy and the Iglesia ni Kristo, the Catholic Church has not officially endorsed any candidate or political party. As a priest, I should not endorse any candidate although I can let others know who I will vote for. For religious leaders, engagement in partisan politics and dictating to others who to vote for is inappropriate. We should allow our members to vote according to their conscience, while at the same time providing guideliness on voting responsibly.

I was amused when Quiboloy who claims to be the "appointed son of God" announced that it is the will of his Heavenly Father that Gibo will be the next president of the Philippines. What happens if his candidate fails to win? That could raise doubts about the authenticity of the "Divine Revelation" and his status as the "appointed Son." It could also question the belief that he has over 5 million voting members. At least the Iglesia ni Kristo appears to base it endorsement on who it perceives will surely win. Nevertheless, I find it inappropriate and undemocratic for any religious leader or church to dictate to its members who to vote for.

I'm just glad that the Catholic Church has avoided making that mistake. There is no such thing as a Catholic Vote. Although there have been some groups like the Couples for Christ and some Pro-Life groups who have endorsed Villar who is perceived as corrupt. Other bishops have endorsed JC de los Reyes of Kapatiran - a political party whose principles and programs are supposedly based on Catholic Moral/Social teachings. The Kapatiran has been expecting to get support from the Catholic Church, from the parishes and religious organizations. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an official Catholic party and Kapatiran lacks credible candidates and a mass base. I admire Kapatiran's stress on a politics that is based on principles not on personalities, but unless the Kapatiran has candidates who embody its principles and who are credible to the masses they cannot expect to get elected. Most Filipinos are person-oriented, and they do not vote primarily on the basis of platforms and ideologies.

I disagree with some pro-Life groups who declared that the only acceptable candidates are those who opposed the Reproductive Health bill. This has led them to support candidates who are perceived as corrupt. One of them even went to the extent of hoping that Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo will win as congressman and become the speaker of the house just because she is regarded as pro-life. This is a narrow and myopic understanding of what it means to be pro-life. They fail to understand that corruption is a manifestation of the culture of death and is anti-life in so far as it perpetuates poverty, war, extra-judicial killings, ecological destruction, human rights violation.

Even as I fail to vote, I pray for our country that the elections will finally be credible and that we will be spared from the age-old curse of electing unworthy, corrupt and abusive leaders (like Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her kind). I pray that we will be spared from electing someone who has been found guilty of corruption (but was pardoned) and someone who has been accused of using public office to enrich himself and his companies.

I finally pray that the elections will go smoothly and that there will be no more attempt by the Arroyo government to manipulate the results of the election that will perpetual her in power. Otherwise, I will be one of those who will actively join the People Power that will oust her.