Redemption Road: From Grief to Peace through Walking the Camino de Santiago

by Brendan McManus, SJ, Paul Kelly (Foreword by)

Overview

Sometimes the best cure for a wounded soul is a really long walk . . .

One June morning, Fr. Brendan McManus stepped out for a much-needed walk—to be exact, a 500-mile hike on Spain’s renowned Camino de Santiago. A few years earlier, his brother had committed suicide, and the tragedy left Brendan physically, psychologically, and spiritually wounded. Something radical was required to rekindle his passion for life and renew his faith in God.

Redemption Road is the story of a broken man putting one foot in front of the other as he attempts to let go of the anger, guilt, and sorrow that have been weighing him down. But the road to healing is fraught with peril: steep hills and intense heat, wrong turns and blistered feet. Worse still, a nagging leg injury could thwart Brendan’s ultimate goal of reaching the Camino’s end and honoring his brother in a symbolic act at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Constantly tempted to quit his quest, Brendan relies on the principles of Ignatian spirituality to guide him on his journey from desolation to consolation.

For anyone going through the process of grieving, Redemption Road offers real hope— not that the path to peace will be easy, but that Christ, who himself suffered and died, will be with us every step of the way and lead us at last to wholeness and healing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780829444117
Publisher:	Loyola Press
Publication date:	05/01/2019
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Brendan McManus, SJ, is an avid hiker whose love of pilgrimage emerged during his Jesuit training when he and a companion begged their way across northern Spain. In 2011 he walked the Camino de Santiago in memory of his brother who died by suicide. He currently works in spirituality in Belfast. Redemption Road is his first book. 

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Glossary of Spanish Words xiii

Map xv

1 Driven by Desire 1

2 An Inner Light 11

3 Down to the Bone 21

4 Solitary Confinement 31

5 Too Much of a Good Thing 41

6 Walking on Broken Glass 51

7 Get out of Jail 61

8 Soul Crisis 71

9 The Road of Kings 83

10 Alone and on Foot 93

11 Desolation Road 103

12 Saving Sarah 113

13 Deliverance 123

14 Carried by Kindness 133

15 Atonement 147

16 Journey to the End of the Earth 155

Epilogue 167

Acknowledgments 171

Notes 173

Select References and Recommended Further Reading 187

A Ritual for Bereavement 191

Ignatius of Loyola's Guidelines for Negotiating Life's Journey 193

About the Author 195