Heaven on Earth
Today is a special day- the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
This June, it will be 20 years since I first stepped foot in this small French town at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains. Before I went there, it was described as “heaven on earth,” and no truer words could be spoken. I am blessed to have visited Lourdes on four separate occasions, three of which were in service with the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers.
What makes it feel like heaven are two components.
The first is the feeling in the air, it is a “thin place” as the Celts call it, where heaven meets earth. Due to the prayer and faith that pilgrims and volunteers bring to this space, the energy is different than any other place on earth. No wonder there are so many miracles taking place!
The other component to its heavenly nature is that the first are last, and the last are first (as society views them). Let me give you an example.
When I first went to Lourdes, I spent a week in service, giving long hours to helping the sick pilgrims journey to the grotto and to the baths. There was one free afternoon when we could pray, go for a gelato or cappuccino, or rest.
I went to the grotto and waited on a long line to walk near the grotto where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette on 18 different occasions. Just as I was about to approach the grotto, a long line of hundreds of pilgrims arrived. Most in wheelchairs, they were escorted to the front of the line and I now had to wait. I wasn’t annoyed (maybe another Lourdes miracle?), I was rather content to pause and watch others approach the grotto. There are so few places on earth where this would occur, certainly not in every day life. But, in Lourdes, it is the norm.
This year, this Feast feels a bit different for me given my recent health journey. I never approached Lourdes with prayers for my own health (although I did say many prayers for other aspects of life and for people I love).
In Lourdes, I often prayed with and for others who were sick (spiritual, physical, or psychological). I saw their eyes when they arrived to the baths with desperation and fear. After plunging into the water, they emerged with a shift in their eyes. Fear and desperation were gone, replaced with a gentle peace. The look in their eyes was different- it was amazing. And it happened constantly, person after person. It was a small miracle every time. The power of faith and the beauty of this place!
I now approach Lourdes from a distance, seeking that same healing and transformation. Hoping for a miracle, surrendering to God, and accepting all that is- finding the holy in the discomfort. I return to Lourdes in my heart, hoping to return there in person soon.
On this feast day, believe in the miraculous. Trust in the love of God that is revealed in the loving gaze of a mother. And be on the look out for those who are most vulnerable, most in need and allow their needs to be the focus of your attention and love.
St. Bernadette…Pray For Us.
Our Lady of Lourdes…Pray for Us.
