Given at the Mass in honour of Lady of Lourdes at Westminster Cathedral on 6 February 2016.
‘Entrusting oneself to the merciful Jesus like Mary. Do whatever he tells you.’ (John 2:5)
In Lourdes, I often walked down the steep zig-zag path from the upper basilica towards the domain and would pause at the statue of the blind Bartimaeus. The statue many of you will know was placed there by a blind Italian lady who came to Lourdes seeking a miracle and asking for the gift of sight. Whilst not receiving that gift, her gift of faith was restored and she asked that the statue would be a reminder of the deeper gift of faith.
I would often stop there and look into the sacred area of the domain to watch people busy with their devotions, carrying holy water, or lighting candles. The murmuring of prayers drifted upwards, the songs of different voices and languages could be heard. I recall sensing the wonderful generosity with which young people pushed wheelchairs and attended to the needs of those around them, medical staff watched and reacted, and those who were sick bore their suffering with fortitude and quiet patience. I saw a glimpse of a kingdom that Jesus proclaimed, lived and touched. I saw an image of a future kingdom where peace and love overcome evil and suffering and the Lamb of God reigns from his throne with the crowds singing around him.
It is a sight which both restores and encourages faith. It is a time of Jubilee. Jesus Christ looks at each one of us with eyes of mercy, loves us, and invites us to entrust ourselves to his merciful love which reaches down to touch our deepest needs.
Our Lady of Lourdes knows our deepest needs, sufferings and pain. As a tender mother, she presents these needs to Jesus. At the wedding feast of Cana, she responded to the needs of the embarrassed spouses when the wine had run out. Calmly and trustingly, she said to Jesus, ‘They have no wine’. She knew that Jesus would respond to this need. Like blind Bartimaeus, like the poor and the sick Bernadette, we are invited to entrust ourselves to the merciful Jesus just as Mary did. In this Mass we are each invited again to make this act of trust and to know that in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Lord comes to touch and heal our hearts so that we may have the courage to walk more closely to him in the months ahead.
The miracle of Cana needs the assistance of the waiters. They too will need to trust in God. Their task is heavy work. They fill great stone jars with water which they prepare as an act of faith and trust in Jesus. Maybe amongst the waiters, one doubted and grumbled a little: a ‘doubting Thomas’, a man of little faith. His faith too was restored and deepened in this miracle at Cana. He too found faith in the same way as many people, especially amongst the volunteers and redcaps, find faith in Lourdes and come home to walk with Jesus in a new direction as their Way, Truth and Life. Marriage and vocations to the priesthood are found at the miraculous shrine of Our Lady in the peaceful calm of a night illuminated by candles and deep prayer at the grotto. Those stories and miracles are amongst us this afternoon.
The wedding feast of Cana is also an image of the Church. Jesus is present with his mother who sees the needs of a community of relatives and friends gathered together, often in joy, sometimes in sorrow, each bearing the story of their life and their loved ones. Their joy is increased because of the care and attentiveness of Mary so that the ‘best wine’ which follows is the miracle of Jesus. Mary, our mother of tenderness and mercy, identifies the needs and presents them to her son.
The wedding feast of Cana has its reflection in our celebrations in Lourdes and this afternoon when Jesus touches the hearts of those who are sick and suffering through the sacrament of the sick. The volunteers have done their work, like the filling of the stone jars with water, so that Jesus can heal and forgive in this holy sacrament. In the prayer of blessing of the oil, we pray ‘Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, in soul, and in spirit, and deliver them from every affliction.’ Jesus touches human need and gives his gift of mercy to those who seek his help.
His first sign at Cana opens his public ministry and shows that he desires to come to the help of those in difficulty and need: by healing many people of illnesses, infirmities and evil spirits, giving sight to the blind, making the lame walk, restoring health and dignity to lepers, raising the dead, and proclaiming the good news to the poor (cf. Lk 7:21-22).
The wedding feast of Cana, also presents a vision of the great banquet at the end of time. It is a time of Jubilee. It presents a kingdom of joy and peace which is built on love with Jesus at the centre, and Mary presenting our needs to her son. Every time a mother looks after a sick child or a child cares for a frail parent; every time the sick are tended and the tasks of caring completed; Mary watches over and desires to help by telling Jesus of our needs.
This afternoon, as we celebrate this Jubilee for the sick and those who care for them, I invite you to entrust yourselves to the merciful Jesus like Mary, and do whatever he tells you.