At the Edge of the World

In ancient times, Finisterre was thought to be the end of the world. I feel that even more when I’m at the church, Sanctuario da Virxe da Barca, in Muxia (about 18 miles north of Finisterre). The surroundings are spectacular with rocks all around, waves crashing, and the stone cathedral jutting out to the ocean. Inside, the church is magnificent in a different way. Beautiful statues of Mary, an altar piece of Jesus in a fishing boat with his disciples and various types of boats suspended in the air by angels hang throughout the sanctuary. The silence is alive with prayers expressed over the centuries. We had the good fortune to attend mass there this past Sunday. It was a time of worship with locals easily mixing with tour bus participants and pilgrims. We felt blessed to be there and I have thought back on the service multiple times.

I’ve often wondered how nature forms and shapes our way of approaching life and faith, in particular. How does daily interacting with the beautiful but harsh environment of the ocean shape a person? Muxia seems to be primarily a fishing village so seeing lots of boats in the church made total sense given the location. The altar piece of Jesus in the boat takes on a different significance to fishermen and women, I imagine. Is there a difference with those who grow up in wide, open spaces (like Kansas) versus those in more enclosed spaces, in the mountains? City vs. country? I don’t have answers but I’m intrigued.

I know I crave deep silence when I want to connect with God. When I sit on the rocks and look out at the waves, I can’t help but feel close to God. The same happens when I’m hiking quietly in nature. God is so close. But, I don’t live by the ocean nor do we have a place in the woods. We have a nice home with a big backyard on the edge of town. I just have to be intentional about creating pockets of silence with the beauty that’s already there to draw close to God and let God draw close to me. This is one of the things I will take home from this trip. To create my own “edge of the world.”

I pray you, also, find your spaces of beauty and silence. To intentionally create your “edge of the world.” May you experience God drawing close to you as you draw close as well.

Blessings, friends. Thanks for joining us on this journey. Thank you for your presence and prayers.

~Terri