Well here we all are again in Lourdes, all eight hundred of us. Thanks be to God. Our first Mass this morning was celebrated in the Grotto itself in the type of conditions the Irish call 'soft'. A very gentle rain floated steadily down on us throughout the liturgy but nobody seemed to take a great deal of notice. We were joined by pilgrims from the Welsh National Pilgrimage. Cardinal Vincent was the principal celebrant and Archbishop George Stack of Cardiff gave the homily.
The archbishop began by recalling to mind the scepticism of the Lourdes parish priest at the time of the apparitions. He pointed out that, through the attitude of the priest, Bernadette's faith was tested. He also went on to speak of how, despite being accorded such a huge privilege of becoming the Mother of God, the faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary was also tested by the events of her life. He reminded us that we must expect no less if we are to come to the fullness of the faith and be able to enter upon the mission God has for each one of us, namely, to bring to good news of the Gospel to those around us. We can expect to hear a great deal about mission during the week because the theme of the year in Lourdes is the Joy of Mission.
After Communion, Cardinal Vincent invited Vincent and Ethna Stapleton to come to the Sanctuary to receive a Papal blessing on the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary.
The weather conditions had eased considerably by the time the pilgrims gathered in front of the Rosary Basilica for the traditional group photo. Fitting eight hundred people into one photograph is no mean feat but the photographers are old hands at this sort of thing and the matter was soon dealt with.
After lunch Bishop Nicholas gave a catechesis, aimed primarily at the young people who had joined the pilgrimage, about our mission. He painted for us a picture of a vast and distant universe and contrasted this image with a close and intimate God. He explained that we must learn to have a let Jesus into our lives and become close friends with him. Citing the examples of the saints, beginning with St Bernadette, who had to learn that her mission was not what she had expected, to St Teresa of Avila, who reminds us that we are here to carry out Christ's mission, and Bl Giorgio Frassati, who learned to serve the Lord first through a very practical vocation.
Bishop Nicholas explained that, through a relationship with Jesus, by listening intently to his will for us, we come to understand our vocation, what he calls us to be, and our mission, what he calls us to do in his service. The key to happiness, he told us, is generosity. It is through selfless giving that we discover the joy of mission.
More photos from the first day of the pilgrimage can be viewed at this link.
