No pain, no glory

Brendan McManus SJ :: No pain, no glory: A recovery of the penitential side of the Camino.

Watching a blazing sunset from the ruins of an old Catalan castle, I had this moment of great clarity about my life direction and future as a Jesuit. It was 1994, and with another companion, we were walking the Camino Ignaciano », without any money, asking for food and accommodation, as part of our Jesuit formation ». I don’t think I could repeat that very challenging experience now, but I do try to preserve elements of that unforgettable pilgrimage into my subsequent Caminos. 

The Camino de Santiago is experiencing unprecedented growth: nearly half a million people walked it last year, bringing increased commercialisation, with inevitably both advantages and disadvantages. The challenge is to preserve the unique, transformative nature of the Camino pilgrimage while also making it accessible to more than just experienced hikers.

There is a kind of ‘fragile magic’ to the Camino that can easily be lost in the rush to commercialise, make it accessible, and make it pay! The enigmatic Camino phrase, ‘no pain, no glory’ (in Spanish, ‘sin dolor no hay gloria’), captures something of the tension between having a genuine pilgrimage experience, and not being too protected from the vagaries of the road. 

The Camino originated as a Catholic penitential pilgrimage from the late Middle Ages, normally walked as a penance, atonement, or as a promise. Recent years have seen an explosion in numbers as people from all faiths and none walk it for a variety of reasons, from fitness to finding spirituality. Regardless of people’s background or motivation, something ‘magic’ happens on the Camino, whether it is restoring your faith in humanity, reconnecting with nature, getting some interior silence, or escaping from a toxic culture.

I believe that the power of the Camino lies precisely in this ‘spiritual transformation’ (in the broad sense), in the release from burdens, or in the healing that comes from intentional walking, rituals, and prayers along this sacred route. I have experienced this myself several times, (again in 2011, it saved me from crippling grief), as life-changing experiences. 

There is an intriguing paradox at the heart of the Camino: the more you move away from materialism, egoism, and selfishness, the happier you are with a simple lifestyle, basic technology, hours spent walking in nature, connection with others/compassion and basic humility. This flies in the face of a contemporary consumerist world caught up in appearances, accumulating ‘things’, and individualism.

Most find it incredible that people would willing give up luxury, ease, and self-centredness to live out of a backpack, stay in cheap shared accommodation, and walk miles every day in the Iberian heat. In essence, this is what is traditionally called a ‘penitential’ aspect, that simplicity, travelling light and being open to what comes, are what works.

The Camino’s strength is in remaining true, insofar as possible ,to its centuries-old identity as a penitential pilgrimage. The enduring paradox is that it brings about great happiness and joy (not without cost), and releases people from the tyranny of empty materialism, modern over-thinking, and self-centredness. Instead, the Camino is like therapy, a programme of recovery of basic humanity, embodied mindfulness, and compassionate connection to others. And often on a shoestring budget in the bucolic rural north-west Spain!  

It goes without saying that you need to let go of a lot to be a pilgrim; walking the Camino de Santiago is about letting go of control, accepting that it is possible to trust in providence, openness, and people. On the Camino, as in life, we need to travel light, and adapt to whatever comes our way, whether it is the weather, health issues, unexpected obstacles, inner wounds or blocks. The point is that many of these things are beyond our control, and leaving control aside and trusting in some element of ‘divine’ providence is an essential element of the Camino.

However, it is very challenging for many, as expectations get in the way– I need good food, rest, hygiene, luxury etc. to be happy. Modern life presupposes control over our environment, and much of the technology around us cushions us. The liberation that comes from letting go of comfort, ease, and security is hard-won.  

Being a pilgrim on the Camino teaches us about this freedom from superficial things so as to be able to concentrate on more important ones: walking, talking, praying, appreciating, and really living. You need very little to get by, and all the things we think we need (technology, comfort, riches, style, etc.) have no value on the road. A rucksack that would contain everything you think you need would be impossible to carry.

This is a great liberation, and the recuperation of what it means to be human – a pilgrim on the road, dependent on providence and on others. The joy attached to this is palpable and infectious, often seen in the square in Santiago as the end result of the journey, the moment of ‘glory’.  

This brings us to the concept of ‘glory’, originally a Christian concept meaning, ‘to experience divine or transcendent love’. It is recognisable on the Camino when we witness people alive, vibrant, joyful, and transformed. As the second century St Irenaeus says, “the glory of God is the human fully alive”.

Often, people have had negative experiences of religion, or unhelpful images of a judgmental God, or external ‘magical’ spirituality with excessive focus on the spectacular and not on human experience. As a result, they are slow to recognise what happens on the ‘inside’ during the Camino. Their inner journey, in their experience, is spiritual.  It can often be a great liberation and relief to realise that the Camino experience is a profound encounter with the deepest parts of themselves. It is the work of the Spirit or the divine who is active there.

From my experience of listening to hundreds of pilgrims (cf. Camino Companions debrief), what typically features in Camino stories are really challenging moments like the ‘pain’. Reaching limits with energy, patience, courage, and yet managing to walk through these testing moments into some deeper place where peace and healing exist.

Pilgrims often just need to be listened to, and affirmed, and to know that their very real existential struggles are a ‘sacred place’. They don’t have to be perfect or ‘holy’, only to be real and searching, to make some profound discoveries and life transformations.  This is the ‘glory’, some divine illumination that shines through our human pilgrim journey. 

Increased commercialisation on the Camino means giving more people access to the wonderful experience that it is, but also brings some downsides. Often, people need a pathway to getting to grips with the logistics and sense of the Camino, a group package tour can be an ideal starting point to get a flavour of the experience, to see how it works, and give encouragement to later undertake a more stripped-down version.

Everyone walks their own Camino, of course, and individual needs have to be taken into account. Often, people have some disability, limitation or need that necessitates the use of baggage transfer, hotel accommodation and back-up support. Inevitably, it involves people making personal decisions about how they will walk the Camino and what support they need, based on their particular circumstances.

However, fear and anxiety can often creep in and overly influence people’s choices, so some decision-making or discernment process is needed that will iron out real needs from anticipated ones. In the Ignatian tradition, this is typically done in conversation with a guide or trusted friend, and follows a process that examines motivations and weighs options. Typically, avoiding extremes is a good rule of thumb; rather, try identifying what would be reasonable and doable. This is a delicate process: putting in place necessary safeguards while staying true to the essence of the Camino pilgrimage. My hope is that many more will come to savour the riches of the Camino, and uncover that startling paradox of ‘less is more’, and find a way of living ‘no pain no glory’!