because God always opens the door, always

Before Pat and I began walking our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, we spent several days in the well-preserved medieval city of Ávila, home to our beloved Santa Teresa de Jesús.

For lodging, we had arranged to stay at the Convento Santa María de Jesús, located on a hill right outside the famous walled city.

Not actually running a hotel for tourists, the Franciscan nuns (las Clarisas) at the convent agreed to let us stay in the Convent's guest rooms after I explained that Pat and I were pilgrims, headed to Pamplona, where we would begin walking el Camino de Santiago.

From the train station, a taxi dropped us in front of what appeared to be the main entrance to the convent. 

First timidly, then forcefully, we knocked on the wooden door and waited. And knocked and waited, several times.

No answer.

Hungover from jetlag and not thinking very clearly, I searched the massive door with black iron nails for something obvious that could announce our presence. A doorbell, a bell, a knocker.  

There was nothing but the door handle that we kept trying to twist open, without success.

We set our backpacks down against a wall with a beautiful carved image of St. Francis and St. Clare.  And Pat and I took turns knocking on the door and walking up and down the front of the building, even peeking into the windows.

Nothing. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to get in!

I decided to walk the entire street block looking for a different entrance to the building.  When that didn’t work, I walked down the hill to a paint store that had its door open, and I asked the clerk behind the counter if he could tell me how to get into the convent.

The man looked puzzled by my question, then generously offered me the store’s phone to call the convent.

“The door isn’t locked,” said the confused nun who answered the phone. “It’s not locked,” she repeated slowly, “Just open the door.”

I walked back to the intimidating, massive, wooden door, and stood in front of it for a moment. And this time, instead of knocking or reaching for the handle--I gave it a slight push.

The door was heavy, but it was, indeed, unlocked!

All we had to do to go inside was to move forward and go through the open door.

Lesson number one...as in the Camino, so in life…