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May 23, 2005 
VOL.
43, NO. 11Oakland,
CA
In
His Light
At Lourdes we witness
God’s transforming power
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
About two weeks ago I received from the Lord the grace of making a pilgrimage
to Lourdes.
I first learned about our Lady’s appearances to St. Bernadette when
I was in the first grade. In 1954, to commemorate the centennial of the
foundation of our family’s parish, dedicated to Our Lady’s
Immaculate Conception, the community built a Lourdes grotto, a sort of
replica of the site upon which the Blessed Mother spoke to the 14-year-old
Bernadette Soubirous.
And, of course, like so many of you, I had been captivated by the account
of Lourdes in the movie “The Song of Bernadette.”
So, when the members of the Order of Malta from our diocese invited me
to join them for this pilgrimage, I was only too happy to accept, since
I would, at long last, have the opportunity to see and pray at this sacred
spot that had been part of my thoughts and prayers since childhood.
The center of the Malta pilgrimage is the “malades,” the sick
persons who are the Order’s guests of honor. The knights and dames
are there to serve them, to see that they are comfortable and cared for
during the whole course of their pilgrimage. I was greatly blessed to
be part of this grace-filled company of disciples.
One of the greatest gifts I received on this pilgrimage was hearing the
stories of some of the “malades” and their families. They
shared with me their stories of the struggles they experienced as a result
of the grave illnesses that had so profoundly touched their lives; and
with great faith they gave witness to the transforming power of God’s
grace that they experienced at Lourdes.
They went hoping for a cure, if that would be in God’s plan. But
more than that, they were looking for the Lord to give them peace and
joy in bearing their share of the cross, and that grace they received
on the pilgrimage.
They told me that this healing, this cure of any bitterness or anger or
alienation, was the miracle of Lourdes for them. While they were not necessarily
restored to physical health, they were restored to spiritual and human
wholeness by their visit to the Lourdes, by their prayer at this holy
shrine in the company of other Christians who loved and cared for them.
I was deeply edified by their courageous faith, and came away asking God
to give me, too, such unconditional confidence in his loving care.
That the graces which come from being in Lourdes are for everyone is a
conviction that was spoken about all through the pilgrimage. As one of
the preachers put it: “We are all ‘malades’.”
That is to say, we are all in need of healing.
The wound which we all share, whether we are physically ill or physically
fit, is the wound that comes from sin and leaves us weakened in our ability
to trust God, sometimes to the point of being almost paralyzed in responding
to his love.
Everyone knows that Lourdes is a sacred place of healing, but the physical
cures are signs of this deeper healing, the healing of our hearts, that
the Holy Spirit seeks to work in us all. I can testify that I received
just such healing at Lourdes.
My confidence in God’s loving and providential care for me and for
all of my priests and people in the Diocese of Oakland was deeply strengthened
at Lourdes. Once more, as so many times before, at Lourdes God “helped
my unbelief” (Mk 9:24), strengthened my trust that he would lead
us through all the trials and challenges that cause me so much anxiety
and concern.
The whole precinct about the grotto at Lourdes is beautiful, a place of
great peace. Most beautiful, to my mind, is the grotto itself. I was deeply
moved every time I went there, and I am particularly thankful that I had
the opportunity to offer Mass there.
During the Mass I recalled that this spot was a place were the villagers
of Lourdes had been accustomed to throw their refuse. Imagine that. The
Holy Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, appeared in a dump.
For those who have eyes to see, this is a sign — a sign that what
the world thinks of as worthless and fit only to be cast away is, by the
power of God’s intervention, made significant and a treasure.
Too many people believe the lie that the trials and failures of their
lives are just so much “garbage” that can have nothing to
do with their aspirations for happiness and peace.
Our Lady’s appearances at Lourdes were, and continue to be, a proclamation
of the good news that the Risen Christ is everywhere, in all the circumstances
of our lives – no matter how much they seem like “garbage.”
Life’s trials and failure, when entrusted to God, become a way of
triumph, a path to heaven, a step toward paradise, where we will see,
as Bernadette did, Christ’s glory, especially as it reflected in
the face of his Blessed Mother.
Previous "In His Light" Columns by Bishop Allen H. Vigneron
