Ultreia.
Come further up, come further in!
~ The unicorn, speaking in the New Narnia in The Last Battle
Herru Santiagu / Got Santiagu / E ultreia, e suseia / Deus adiuva nos. [Latin]
Dear Saint James / Lord Saint James / Let’s keep going further and higher / God helps. [Translation]~ Book of Saint James, Appendix II, song “Dum pater familias,“ c.1100ce
camino series, 4.
This series is inspired by Jerome & Kellie’s 500-mile trek on the Camino Norte in May and June 2024. We offer these reflections and videos for your own enrichment on the pilgrimage of life!
As I’ve have mentioned in earlier posts and videos, the most popular greeting among pilgrims on the Camino is “Buen Camino!” which is a blessing for one another’s trek on “The Way.” But in France, the more ancient greeting on pilgrimage is “Ultreia!” to which the other pilgrim responds “Et Suseia!” Kellie and I never heard this exchange ourselves, but it is woven into the lore of the Camino, and you can find many souvenirs in Santiago de Compostela with these words on them.
The phrase Ultreia, e suseia. Deus adiuva nos! translates from the Latin as “Further and higher, with God’s help!” and originated on pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. But the nuances are even deeper than “further and higher” and speak pretty potently to the pilgrimages we each walk every day. Let’s take a look!
Author Alejandro Passaretti says that Ultreia “is a cry of encouragement that transcends physical limitations, a hymn to perseverance and the drive to overcome obstacles. Each time a pilgrim utters it or hears it, an instant connection is made with those who walked before and those who will walk in the future. Ultreia is a reminder that the Camino is not just a geographical route, but an inner journey.”
The word Ultreia comes from the root ultra, meaning beyond, over, or more than. With the suffix -eia, it carries the sense of “Let’s keep going! Let’s go beyond our limitations!” And when you hit a 20-mile day on the trail, this cry rings true. You need all the encouragement you can get to keep placing one foot in front of another. But isn’t this true for all of us? Seriously, the outer journey mirrors the inner journey, which is all about courage, perseverance, and trust: courage to face threats real and imagined, perseverance to overcome fatigue and disappointment, and trust to believe that we are enough… and that we will be given enough.
Could you use a fresh dose of courage, perseverance, and trust today?
As you can see in the image above, I actually had this tattooed on my leg because it speaks so viscerally to the hurdles I face in my life—and I know you face them too: financial uncertainties, relational uncertainties, the death of some dreams, the resurrection of others. There are many reasons to lose heart in the journey, and we all need Soul Friends to constantly see us, love us, and pull us onwards when our energy fails. Only the bottomless Wellspring of divine nourishment can empower and sustain us on today’s path.
A prayer by Saint Teresa of Avila reflects the sustaining grace of Ultreia…
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing upset you
Everything changes
God alone is unchanging
With God all things are possible
The one who has God lacks nothing
God alone is enough.
growing your soul
In what situation do you need some fresh courage, perseverance, and trust in your journey today? Receive the heart of Ultreia as God’s deposit into your soul right now.
serving our world
Who do you see that is flagging on their pilgrimage, who needs the cry of Ultreia to sound loudly in their soul today?
takeaway
Go beyond!