‘I call with all my heart; Lord, hear me,’ began the first psalm of today’s Morning Prayer; the perfect start to a week spent holding our intentions before the Lord. The Westminster pilgrims made these words their own this morning when they prayed the Stations of the Cross: some climbed into the hills to walk through the life-sized sculptures of the Upper Stations, while others meditated on Christ’s Passion at the Lower Stations.
The Lower Stations also feature unique additions of other moments in the life of Christ, like the Resurrection. Reflecting on this theme, Fr Andrew Bowden reminded one group of pilgrims that ‘there is nothing we can experience that Christ does not experience with us. It was in the darkness of the tomb that light burst forth; so it is with us.’
After lunch, pilgrims gathered at their respective hotels to process to the opening Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Nichols at St Bernadette Côté Grotte. The Cardinal gave a moving homily on the importance of trust and hope; both while we are in Lourdes, and in the wider pilgrimage of daily life.
The Mass concluded with a prayer for this week’s helpers, when the Cardinal invoked God’s blessing on those who would be assisting the sick and disabled throughout the pilgrimage. The prayer may well have found a special place in the hearts of our young Redcaps, who like the teenaged Jesus in today’s Gospel (Luke 2:41-52), will experience first-hand what it means to be ‘busy with my Father’s affairs’ in the service of others.
As the liturgy came to an end, our voices were raised in that beloved Lourdes hymn: Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! And with that, the Lourdes Pilgrimage 2024 officially began!
As a busy first day draws to a close, Evening Prayer reminds us that we are also here to intercede for the diocese back at home, and for the whole Church:
For love of my brethren and friends
I say: ‘Peace upon you!’
For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.
(Psalm 122:8-9)
Please pray for us, as we are praying for you.
