We are privileged to live close to the Sierra Nevada
National Park, one of the most dramatic and stunning mountain ranges on the
planet. When you walk on its trails, through its forests, by its rivers, you
can hardly avoid feeling a deep sense of communion with God’s creation. Yesterday,
we had one of those special hikes. Together with our friend Ingo (from The Garden of Lemons in the Lecrin
Valley, Granada), we led a church group from Denmark who are visiting the area.
During the 4 hour walk, we hiked the Cumbres
Verdes (Green Summits) of the National Park, in conversation with the
poetry of John of the Cross, with God and nature. During our poetry walk, we sauntered
in silence, stopping in spots of outstanding beauty, to hear the mystic’s
poetry read in Spanish, Danish and English, and to reflect on the poems in
dialogue with the landscape. We ended with an informal act of worship: Morning Prayer
(Los Olivos liturgies), including hymns and talk by the priest, Fr. Paul, in
Danish, and the reading together of the Benedicite Sierra Nevada. All in all, a
truly joyful time, but also a reflective and meditative one, receiving with
gratitude the sacrament of creation.
