Compañía Pilgrimage
Once I saw Montserrat in the distance, I knew why Ignatius had to make his pilgrimage there. It is an extraordinary spectacle on the landscape, and has drawn people for millennia. When we got there the plaza was full of people, visiting the church or taking the lift to the top of the mountain. It was special to know that
we were able to stay there overnight in the hotel. I love a room with a view, but in this case my room looked out on the rock wall of the mountain, just a few feet from my window. No view, but the mountain made the room good and dark. Turns out, it also served as a great soundboard. At 5:45 AM I was awakened to the incredibly
loud bells, calling the community to Lauds. Since I was awake, I crossed the empty plaza to the church to join the monks in morning prayer. Yet when I got there, the church doors were locked. I was disappointed, but then stepped away from the doors of the church and caught the sunrise. It occurred to me that it was the best place to be. While I couldn’t enter the church at this hour, this mountain had been a place of prayer for more years than any church ever stood on that spot. I, like Ignatius and millions of others, had encountered the Holy in this place.