Who is a pilgrim?

Sitting at dinner last night I noticed the necklace, Regina, a German pilgrim was wearing and asked about it.  She was wearing it for protection having purchased her 'tau' symbol on her first pilgrimage along the Camino Frances.  I particularly noticed because I have several the same at home hanging on the wall next to my desk and had meant to bring one with me.  The sign of the Tau is used by Franciscans as St Francis was moved to make it a symbol of his new order after hearing the Pope give a talk on the shape of the true cross. Which he presented as the Tau.  Like the capital letter "T".  

One of the experiences of my last pilgrimage was to visit the church in Altopacio, Italy where an order of the Knights of the Tau was founded.  These armed monks were commissioned with the protection of pilgrims, maintaining the often damaged bridges over rivers, keeping pilgrims safe and assisting them when they were ill or injured.  We walked through one of the earliest hospitals (these orginally were built for pilgrims who had no place to be looked after if they were ill) in Altopacio.  Sitting in the great church of Altopacio, I found a sense of my own vocation in the symbol of the tau.  Someone called to serve other pilgrims, build bridges and tend to those injured particularly within the faith community.  It was an unexpected and important moment for me and has stayed with me now for 5 years.  

But as I reflected on missing my 'tau' and wondered how I left it behind, I realised it was important not to have it.  A pilgrim is only a pilgrim, and that is what I need to be on this journey.  Emptied of everything except what is needed to walk the journey.  Particularly for those in ministry, we have to leave our roles behind when we walk this journey.  We are not here to guide others, to minister or to serve.  I was about to bring my role with me and that would have been a mistake.  Every pilgrim here is in the same place, and is really the same person, an individual on a journey.  Just an ordinary person, no roles matter or should.  The only role is as a pilgrim.  Walking in the sun, rain, heat and cold to Santiago, day in, day out.  So at the end of day one, I was glad I had left at least this 'tau' at home.