We leave the centre of town, reaching Calle Baja (Low Street) and passing in front of the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy. We go straight to the N-II. We will continue parallel to it, keeping it on our right, on an asphalt country road. Some industrial buildings are on the left. We go straight ahead.

We always carry on straight, without taking any of the junctions that we very often come across. 3 kilometres far from Bujaraloz, the path diverges and we take the left one, the right one goes up. Next to a farm, on our left, our way merges with another one and we turn it right. After 250 metres the way diverges: we take the left one. 2 kilometres further we come across road A-2213 and we turn right, just for some metres as very soon we take the asphalt road starting on the left.

The asphalt becomes dirt. We go down and at the bottom of the hill we take a road to the right that goes to the village of Peñalba, which we can see now at the end of the road. We go straight down to the street of Joaquin Costa and take left towards the town hall square and the church. We continue down Ramon y Cajal Street. We reach the water channel and we cross the bridge. After crossing the bridge, we turn to our right and follow the canal to the bridge carrying the N-II.

We pass underneath this bridge and continue straight on to an asphalt road that we take, without ever crossing the canal. We continue straight on and the asphalt changes to dirt. To our left is a farm and the silhouette of a black bull, up on a hill. We continue onwards on the level. We pass a lake which we leave on our right. Soon we come to an electricity pole and we take the road that goes off to our left up to the top of the hill. Electricity poles line the road.

In the end we are arriving at the top and also at the Interregional road (NII). We don´t go across but we get a soil way which is parallel to the right onside, it goes down for a little and then starts up again by a tree area. Our advice for the bikers is to avoid this last way going up because it is not in a good state. It can be avoided if, ones you go down by the first way, you will continuous by the NII road to get it up. On the whole it is 500 meters, going very carefully because of the traffic, which is full of lorry trucks. Ones this up way finished, there is a rest area with a fruit shop. At this point, one can be again at the sideway, most pilgrims can follow it on foot, and it goes always next to the NII road. The yellow signs are guiding us against the straightway. We arrive at a little bridge over the little river. We cross over and follow always on a parallel way next to the NII. Very near to Candasnos town, we can follow the gateway to this town.

BUJALAROZ

Taxi Carlos . Tel: 608 782 616 (taxi for 5 and 8 pilgrims)

CANDASNOS

Ayuntamiento . Tel: 974 463 001.

Hotel Cruzanzana** . 2 kilometres out of town, according to the itinerary of the next stage Tel: 974 463 044. It does not offer rooms.

Pensión El Pilar . (Sundays closed). Tel: 974 463 017. You must call in advance.

PEÑALBA

Casa Rural El Balsetón . c/ Carmen 24. Tel: 649 545 450

Accommodation: There is a possibility of taking the bus (bus stop close to the church) at 16:00 (www.agredasa.es) and heading to Fraga, skipping the next stage. This bus line reaches all towns between Saragossa and Lleida, proving very handy for pilgrims.

Once again, we will not find trees or shadows to help us.

PEÑALBA: A small village, in which we can find a restaurant, supermarket, pharmacy and bank.

CANDASNOS: Small population of 500 inhabitants. Its church, which is dedicated to St. Mary of the Assumption, was first built in the 12th century in Romanesque style, using cut stone (you can still see the stonemasons’ marks on them). This Romanesque style was distinguished by a high nave and semi-circular apse. What is remarkable about this temple is its transition to the Gothic of the fourteenth century. From more than half the height of the temple construction began in brick, while the apse changed from a semicircle to a polygon, marked by its windows with pointed arches. We find a restaurant, supermarket and bank.

There is a possibility of taking the bus (bus stop is close to the church) at 16:00 (www.agredasa.es) and heading to Fraga, skipping the next stage. This bus line reaches all the towns between Zaragoza and Lleida, proving very handy for pilgrims.

Notes: We walk with Jesus on the way to His death. Pay attention to the “introductory prayer”: we ask once again that our lives be directed to the will of God, the only source of our happiness and Resurrection. Recall that the final colloquy is very important: we draw closer to the suffering Jesus and ask Him to strengthen us for our personal life commitments. Make this colloquy at the end of the prayer and often during the day.

Grace: I as the Father for this gift: to feel sorrow with Christ in sorrow; to experience anguish with Christ in anguish; and even to experience tears and interior grief because of all the sufferings Christ endures for me at the end of His life.

Reflections: After His last supper, Jesus experiences agony while praying in the garden. He seems to wish that he could avoid the suffering He is about to undergo. He is betrayed by Judas. He is abandoned by the very friends and disciples who had been his closest companions for the last three years. He is publicly humiliated. His life mission seems to end in failure and ridicule. None of this is an “act.” Christians do believe that Jesus, though always God, actually became “fully human” in nature. Thus this particular moment reveals Jesus’ total solidarity with the human condition. Each of us suffers humiliation, rejection, doubt, as well as our own personal agonies. While inserting yourself into this narrative, pray to experience great solidarity with Jesus and great compassion for Him. Take special note of Jesus’ ultimate and utter faithfulness to His mission, to His Father, and, by extension, to us. Jesus is the one who remains faithful to what He is called to accomplish. He also remains faithful to each of us in our personal moments of grief, pain, and uncertainty.

Use the Ignatian contemplation as you follow Jesus with the disciples to Gethsemane. Stay with them as they wait for Jesus. Or just go there and watch Jesus praying to His Father. We follow Jesus in embracing the Father’s will, experiencing His humiliation, darkness, and doubt. Look at Judas arriving with astonishment and pride, not really understanding the role he is playing. Feel the emotion of this situation. Stay close to Jesus in the house of Caiaphas. Keep your eyes on Jesus: What is He feeling? What is He thinking? How does He respond in this moment? Stay close to Jesus and look at the people who are speaking. What are they saying? What do you feel in this moment? Move forward and follow Peter outside of the house. Watch Jesus here since He knows that Peter will betray Him. Experience the pain of betrayal through some sign of affection. Notice how Jesus regards Peter. Jesus has been denied by the very one whom Jesus had called “Rock” – this is the lot of Jesus which I am invited to share. For me this is a moment of personal truth – How do I feel?

Scripture:

Matthew 26:30-75. “ Then Jesus came to the disciples and said to them: ‘Still asleep? Still resting? The hour has come!’”

Isaiah 42:1-9. “Here is my servant whom I uphold.”

Psalm 54. “Save me, God!”

Colloquy: We stay with Jesus, just as we did yesterday. Our presence is more important than any of our faltering words or awkward actions. We bring our personal depth of feeling, love, and compassion into our prayer. This allows us to accompany Jesus at a greater depth. End with the “Our Father.”