This year, Lourdes celebrates the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous. The Jubilee celebration began on the of 8th December 2007 and will end on the 8th of December 2008. From 13th to 15th September, Pope Benedict XV1 is to visit the small Pyrenean town.
This year,
Lourdes celebrates the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous. The Jubilee celebration began on the of 8th December 2007 and will end on the 8th of December 2008.
From 13th to 15th September, Pope Benedict XV1 is to visit the small Pyrenean town.
It is estimated that about 6 million pilgrims come to
Lourdes each year. It is thought that this year already, that number has been well exceeded.
In the Holy Family, international sessions that take place in Martillac near Bordeaux always include a pilgrimage to
Lourdes in its programme.
Certainly there are many Marian shrines in the world but Lourdes occupies a privileged place among us, members of the Holy Family, and in many of our communities, there is often a replica of the grotto in the garden with the statue of our Lady of Lourdes.
There is something profoundly human about
Lourdes. It is the place where millions of sick people come to place their suffering before the Virgin. Others come seeking light and strength in their daily struggles. For many, Mary embodies that maternal love that each of us needs in order to face the challenges of life.
Today there is a revaluing of the meaning of pilgrimage as something that touches us in an integral way – body, soul, spirit, and heart. Our hectic life –styles often arouse in us the need for silence, solitude and self-reflection and it is interesting to note that
Lourdes attracts, not only believers, but also many others who are on a spiritual quest.
In seeking healing for their bodies, many find themselves on an intense spiritual journey. A priest, who has spent many hours in the confessional, remarked that ‘it is there where the greatest miracles of
Lourdes take place’.
In Lourdes, barriers of culture, race and social classes no longer count; in
Lourdes, you are simply a pilgrim moving towards an encounter with God. You take the time to listen to others and to be in solidarity with humanity that is thirsting for life. You may perhaps, take part in celebrations that are not familiar to you, but they will take on a whole new meaning. Symbols also have a deeper significance. Father Nieuviarts, writing in the French press on the 15th August 2008, comments:
‘Those who touch the rock at the grotto in
Lourdes, may be contemplating God who is their rock and their stability. Perhaps they are praying to be imbued with the strength of this rock. Those who drink the water from the fountain feel that their inner thirst is being quenched, that they have been changed and that the water has purified them. Perhaps the water reminds them of their Baptism. Those who burn candles have the intention of offering something of themselves. In lighting the candle, they open themselves up to the clarity that comes from God and when they depart leaving a burning candle, their prayer continues in union with the prayers of all the other people who have placed their lighted candles at the grotto. When they sing the hymn to Mary at night in the torchlight procession, heaven and earth seem to come together in a mysterious way and their faces become transfigured. Each person is at one and the same time deeply alone with God in prayer and profoundly united with all the other pilgrims.’
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Two of our Sisters from the network – Sr. St Jean and Sr. Quitterie took part in the 135th National Pilgrimage from the 11th –16th August. We asked them about their experience.
Click to share their experience
http://www.saintefamillebordeaux.org/lourdes3/lourdesen.htm
This year,