Lourdes Revisited
I’ve visited the shrine of Lourdes in the south of France many times, and it’s always been in the company of the annual pilgrimage of the Order of Malta. Given how much I’ve not seen in France, and given my keen interest in medieval history, it’s fair to ask “Why?” Why would I return to a familiar haunt rather than strike out into new territory. My answer is simple. As wonderful as France might be, there’s no place like Lourdes. It’s worth a return visit, simply because it’s never quite the same place twice.
On the eve of my first visit to Lourdes I had my doubts. What should I expect to see there? Might it be overly pious for my tastes? Might some carnival-like atmosphere prevail? It turned out to be neither of those, simply because Lourdes is too serious for that sort of escapism. People come here for all sorts of reasons, but more often than not they come to contend with the challenges of life. Whether they realize it on the first day of a pilgrimage or on the day after they leave, they have come looking for a glimpse of God and answers to life’s most pressing questions. And they tend to leave with a new perspective on life. It’s why many choose to return.
As a monk I came to the monastery seeking God. That’s the prime business we’re in. What surprises most monks is how the routine in our lives can sometimes dull the sense of the sacred. Days become progressively humdrum, and we can lose sight of what drew us to the monastery in the first place. That’s why we set aside retreat days and other moments for reflection. Those are meant to yank us out of a routine that can numb us, and they remind us that God is present and working among us.
To my way of thinking there will always be a need for places like Lourdes. At Lourdes, people come seeking an experience of God — whatever form it may take. Seldom is that quest fruitless, simply because the experience while at the shrine alerts people to the many ways in which God can touch people. Pilgrims then return home with a heightened awareness of where to look for God in their lives. Usually to their surprise, they can find God in all the old familiar places and people.
Of course Lourdes isn’t the only place that reminds us how blessed and special we are. Even a visit to a parish church can jolt us to the reality that we are made in the image of God, and that God has plans for us. In extraordinary ways, however, Lourdes reminds us that the experience of Christ takes place in the ordinary. Lourdes reminds us that in every neighbor’s face there are hints of the presence of God.
NOTES
+On 28 April I flew to Paris. After a day to recover, I will take the train from Paris to Lourdes, where I will join the members of the Order of Malta on their annual pilgrimage. In next week’s blog post I will attempt to describe what it’s like to visit as a return-pilgrim.
+The photos in today’s post were ones I took on previous visits to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.