I read this on my flight to Rome. Like many, we have wondered, what is with all the chickens? Now I know.

“One day in the life of a pilgrim: The rooster that crowed after death near the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada

The Camino has always carried stories about justice, faith, and impossible survival. None more famous than the legend of the young German pilgrim in Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

Centuries ago, a young pilgrim walking to Santiago was falsely accused of theft after rejecting the advances of an innkeeper’s daughter. He was sentenced to death and hanged. But when his grieving parents returned from Santiago days later, they found him still alive on the gallows, held up by the protection of Saint Dominic.

When they rushed to tell the local judge, he laughed while eating dinner and replied, “That boy is as alive as these roasted birds on my plate.”

At that exact moment, the roasted rooster and hen rose from the table, feathers returned to their bodies, and they began to crow.

To this day, live chickens are still kept inside the cathedral as a reminder that on the Camino, death and life never seem entirely separate. Pilgrims still whisper the story while following the yellow arrows westward, wondering how many miracles the road has quietly witnessed.”

Is it a fable or a miracle, one asks themselves? I would lean towards one of the million little miracles that occur daily. Some go unnoticed, but then there are times when God intercedes in such a remarkable fashion that you cannot deny the fact, you have just witnessed something remarkable!

Whether you are on a pilgrimage through Spain, Portugal, Italy or some other region of this world, it is worth noting that God is present. Look for the unnoticeable, the wonders that only appear when you take time to uncover what once was hidden. That is when you truly realize that there are moments that are unexplainable. And possibly, it will lead you back to what really matters. Faith!

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭