Third Sunday of Easter - Year B - 26th April 2009

Lourdes 2009

Our Lourdes pilgrims will be on a spiritual 'high' after spending time with our Lady by the tranquil waters of the River Gave. What impresses me about such shrines is not so much the historical event of Mary's appearance many years ago, but rather the fact that she is there now - today. Some like the simplicity of Knock in the West of Ireland, others prefer the ruggedness of Medjugorje in former Yugoslavia, or the vast crowds of Lourdes or the beauty of Fatima. What I look for in a Marian Shrine is personal contact with the Mother of God in prayer and sometimes a small simple place can be just as effective. I take the commercial side with a grain of salt, as I also do with the claims of rosary beads turning to gold and the sun spinning.

The person I want to meet is a no-nonsense, first-century, Palestinian lady of faith and tremendous trust in God. She said 'yes' to God in circumstances where many of us would say 'maybe'. I love the processions of Lourdes and the spectacle of the candles on a dark spring evening is simply breathtaking, but I find quiet time at the Grotto or wheeling the sick to the baths is the best way to meet the real Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose only recorded instructions in the gospels are "Do as he tells you!" The whole theology of Lourdes is summed up in the wonderful mosaic in the lower basilica where we read: "Par Marie à Jesus" - through Mary to Jesus.

I have also found myself going 'through Mary to Jesus' at two much smaller places. One is the Rue du Bac in Paris which annually hosts more visitors than the Eiffel Tower. This is where St. Catherine, a Daughter of Charity received the vision of what became the Miraculous Medal. The other is a small town in south-east India, called Velankanni, where Hindus, Muslims and Christians assemble up to a million strong at times, to honour the Mother of God. Sadly many were drowned by the 2004 tsunami, may God rest them.

While it is a great help to our faith to go to a Marian shrine of our choice, we can also go 'through Mary to Jesus' right here in NW7. The month of May is coming, and our Lady's statue will be doing the rounds of the parish. As we continue to digest the rich spiritual input of our Easter liturgies, we could ask our Lady to help us 'ponder these things in our hearts'.

Fr. Jack Harris CM