July 24 — San Sebastián Cathedral / Sunflower fields

I.

Something feels wrong about writing this note on my phone while in this beautiful, peaceful place of contemplation. Yet its the only thing I have to record my thoughts.

But I digress. Here in the San Sebastián Cathedral I wonder whether it is good to let something of intense personal and spiritual significance become a place of historical and cultural interest — a tourist stop, in other words. If Jesus were to come back, I wonder how he would respond to such an ornate, beatified structure that took nine years to build. Would he clear it out like the Jewish temple of his day, or commend it for the worship it inspires and the rest and shelter it provides even now from the rain outside? After all, I am here as a tourist myself, and having a church that is open to all visitors provides a deep balm and refreshment for my soul along the journey. Even as a Protestant among protestants, some sense of awe and reverence for the Lord stirs my spirit in this place, and therein lies its beauty and its power. In a cathedral, you have no choice but to submit. Religious or not, it humbles you.

II.

“Light dazzles,” writes Annie Dillard. Looking out at the fields of sunflowers, I know what she means. These are fields of light. Like solar panels, they absorb the sun and send it forth with electrifying beauty. As we drive by they are ilumined with what almost looks to be a light of their own.

I hear that the Spanish explorers of old set out in search of gold. Did it ever occur to them, I wonder, to look backwards — behind the borders of their own land? Would they have not found there a treausre much greater — by the standards of the kingdom of the heavens — than the opulent palaces of the crown under which they sailed and in whose name they conquered? There is life abundent outside the window of the bus this afternoon. I have all the gold in the world, bought without price. It sways in the breeze, promising nothing more than it can actually give, which is a moment of pure, joyful presence. Let those who seek riches take heed. There’s gold in these hills. All it takes is a seed.