Fabrizio walked in at about 18:30. He is a professional photographer from Rome. I do not know why, but we almost immediately start to talk about religion. "I was Catholic, babtised, first confession and left it behind."
The conversation is one of those where you feel as if it can go on all night. From the moment he walked in, through dinner and when he woke up this morning we talked. Religion, faith, photography, politics (he tried to explain to me how the Catholic church, state, mafia and free masons are all intertwined in Italy - "That is why we are crazy!")
One thing I noticed on the Camino is how people are willing to listen to one another. One of the things we discussed is his reason for walking the Camino: "I am busy with an inward journey, I need to get rid of anger and pain." He is actually taking time out to do something about achieving real growth in his life.
How we (as Christians) have become almost obsessed with quick fixes. "Just confess your sins, Jesus is the answer!" Is this really a Biblical model for healing? Did Jesus not spend 3 years with his disciples and then another 40 days? Did God not decide we should spend 9 months in the womb and then another 9 months before we can start to try and walk?
Healing, being whole, takes time. Benedict realised this as well. In his rule, he describes how monks who erred should be treated. This takes time. As Chittirster comment; we do not want to be healed, we just want to feel better.
(I had to ask about his tattoo - same answer as all the others, difficult period in my life, decided to take action, this is to remind me.)
When Fabrizio left this morning, he said: "You must read the meditations of Marcus Aurelius. You really gave me a lot to think about."
Buen Camino Fabrizio!
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