All This For the King

Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus
by Father Dave Pivonka, T.O.R.

Father Dave loves being a priest so much that he wanted to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his ordination by doing something big. He decided to hike the Camino — the ancient pilgrim path to the tomb of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago, Spain. It goes through the Pyrenees and takes a month. This was his chance to focus entirely on God. As we see in this book, as happens on such occasions, God paid him back in a measure overflowing with lessons and blessings.

This is a simply written, accessible volume in which Father Dave shares the revelations that God brought him through the simplest things. Even a lost sock could be an opportunity to learn. Along the way, we not only see what such a pilgrimage entails, but Father Dave also reminds us of some of the basic tenets of Catholicism and how to keep a lookout for God’s hand in all we experience, both good and bad. I especially appreciated his reminder that Christ is our king and we serve him. That has rung through my mind since I finished the book.

“All this for the King. All this for the King. All this for the King. ...”

As I was lying in my bed, I recalled what I had written in my journal the night before in my plush hotel. It was about sharing in the sufferings of Christ. I had felt that I was not doing that very well. I had written, “Jesus, I accept whatever comes and pray that I may rejoice in the ways that I may share in your suffering (see 1 Peter 4:13). May I be given the grace to share in your suffering with joy.”

I know, I know, what was I thinking? Father Joe stated that he would like to edit my journal each evening in order to delete unnecessary passages. But this grace really was what I needed.

So there I was lying on my bed praying. I asked God if this really was what he had for me. I then heard him clearly say to me, “Yes.”

Wow. I hadn’t seen that coming. In that moment I had complete confidence that my being sick really was part of what God had for me. He gave me the tremendous grace of acceptance.

The only way I can really explain what was going on was that my experience was holy. I know that may sound crazy, but lying on the bed, sick with a fever, nauseated, with my body aching had become sacred. There was an intense communion with God that I never will forget. It was one of the more profound experiences of my Camino.

I know that accepting suffering is a place where I need greater transformation. So often when I am hurting, I bear it all by myself. This is tragic because it does not have to be that way.

First, I always have the option of uniting my sufferings with those of Christ. To the degree that I am able to do this, my suffering can actually help make my holy. My suffering is not meaningless.

A friend of mine was experiencing great suffering and was somewhat frustrated with God. While praying one day she heard God say, “When are you going to make pain your companion instead of your enemy?” She went on to consider the fact that a companion goes somewhere with you, even accompanies you on a journey. If we allow suffering to be our companion, it will ultimately lead us home to the Father. ...

We can also offer our suffering for others, and there is a tremendous splendor in this. Be it a family member who is sick or has wandered away from God or a coworker in the middle of a divorce, we an offer our pain and suffering for someone. Only in heaven will we fully know the benefit the individual received, but even now we can have peace knowing that our suffering is not in vain.

This review was written as part of The Catholic Company review program. You may buy the book here, find other reviews of Hiking the Camino here and explore more about The Catholic Company at their website.