#SeekingMary: Pray. Act. Love.

 

In the next two days we were blessed to see more of Spain. First stop was Burgos. We entered through the Arco de Santa Maria, one of 12 medieval gates of the city listed as a National Monument.

 

Arco de Sta. Maria

Lunch was in one of the restaurants that dotted Plaza del Rey San Fernando.

 

Tourism tram at the Plaza del Rey San Fernando

Then we were given a guided tour of the Burgos Cathedral, also called Our Lady of Burgos or Cathedral of St. Mary of Burgos (Santa Iglesia Catedral Basilica Metropolitana de Santa Maria de Burgos).

 

Retablo Mayor - Main Altarpiece of the Major Chapel

The cathedral truly deserves its distinction as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its Gothic art evident in its superb architecture and its unique collection of art.

 

Intricately painted domes. Elaborate retablos. Altarpieces made from tons of silver. Pictorial and historical treasures like the Santa Maria Magdalena painting by Leonardo da Vinci

 

and the tomb of El Cid.

 

Romanticized portrait of El Cid

The cathedral tour was the highlight of Day 5 of our Marian Pilgrimage. Well, that plus the shopping around the plaza.

 

Many of us felt it was surreal to be here, like something out of a dream. We were all praises for our God who makes dreams come true, some were even in tears as they recounted how He made this trip a reality for them.

 

La Escalera Dorada (Golden Staircase)

There was just a sad note that our tour leader mentioned: the churches we have visited so far have been turned into museums. People come in droves not to attend masses but to gaze at its treasures. But he also said we shouldn’t be disheartened because Christ’s Church is not a building, it’s people who make God’s love a reality to others.

From Burgos, we made our way to San Sebastian. It was a thrill to see that our hotel there was right by the river. I couldn’t wait to enjoy the view in the morning. But that night, a storm raged. It was a gloomy sight that greeted us. We were blessed that the wind and rain weakened as we took a drive-by city tour. The storm allowed us to see something we would never have seen otherwise – surfing in the Urumea River. The waves were that strong.

Our main destination for the day was another treat for me as I got to see the home turned shrine of the patron saint of Ateneo (my alma mater), St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Santuario de Loiola (Sanctuary of Loyola) are buildings around the birthplace of Iñigo Lopez de Loyola (St. Ignatius), founder of the Society of Jesus in Azpeitia, Basque Country, Spain. The so-called Holy House is his ancestral home. The house was originally a fortress then a mansion was built over it.

 

We also heard mass in Basque at the basilica there.

 

 Main Altar of the Basilica of Loyola with gold & silver inlays

St. Ignatius was considered a revolutionary in his time because of his philosophy of “Contemplative in Action”. Being holy is not only achieved through prayer but in acting out your faith. “Pray” without “Act” and “Love” do not amount to much.

 

Statue of St. Ignatius wounded in battle as he is being returned 

to his birthplace by soldiers of the opposing French army

After Loyola and lunch back in San Sebastian,

 

Street outside Restaurante Eki with Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in the background

we were off to Lourdes. Adios Spain, bonjour France.