Order of Malta
Lourdes Pilgrimage May 2011
Please check out my Lourdes media pages:
Lourdes Blog
http://frdunninlourdes.wordpress.com/
Past pilgrimages are archived there as well.
Wednesday, Apr 27 2011
Well, here is another pilgrimage eve. The bags are (smartly – I think) packed. And I am bringing my iPad and keyboard. Hopefully all will go well with this blog.
I’ll have a lot of time tomorrow at the airport. Just wanted to get the blog going and post the link.
Friday, Apr 29 2011
I am sorry again for not getting this up sooner. The May pilgrimage is an intense and quick experience that doesn’t leave free time for too much.
But even more than the usual, there was a communication problem with the scooter rental that left me yesterday afternoon in a state of uncertainty. Alright, that’s an understatement but I have to keep it clean here! By the time it was resolved, I missed the opening Mass, landed up with 2 scooters and the most I could do was a short trip to the Grotto to say hello to my ‘Hostess’ and hit the sack after a crazy long day.
The flight over was fine and just under 7 hours. No major incidents to report just a few bumps. The weather here is fine and it’s usual variations of hot and cold, wet and dry.
This morning, the majority of the pilgrimage attended a Recollection while I helped with the children’s group who did the Footsteps of St. Bernadette. The children are a wonderful group and are both smart and enthusiastic. I consider it an ecumenical group because a number of them are Red Sox fans. Oh, well, I guess God calls all!
We are off now for group photos and the Mass with the Anointing of the sick at 3:30. I have the privilege of preaching this Mass again this year so I’ll keep this short so I can tidy that homily up.
Keep praying for us and know that we are praying for you.
Homily for Anointing Mass
Friday, Apr 29 2011
Uncategorized frdunn 3:51 pm
The first message of Lourdes has no words. St. Bernadette, caught up in the shock of seeing the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, needed help making the sign of the Cross. She recounts she was frozen by this overwhelming experience. But then the Virgin Mary herself made the sign of the Cross and Bernadette followed her example.
For anyone else, the sign of the Cross ranges from a sincere and faithful gesture to a mockery of religious belief. But for Mary, it meant something more. I always imagine her having a moment as she remembered what this meant. She was there and saw it all. The Cross took from her the One she loved the most. And although she fully knows His final glory, what a terrible path she had to see. No, the Cross is no ‘meaningful symbol’ or decorative accessory for the woman who was there.
And kneeling before her so many years later was a young woman who in her own way shared in the Cross. St. Bernadette lived in desperate poverty and her future was bleak at best. She was in poor health and always would be. She is the first malade of Lourdes. She came to the Grotto by accident – well we all know that’s not true is it? There are no accidents with God! Like so many of us, she had very good reasons for being here. And like any pilgrim to this special place, what did she find, what was the grace for her?
Everyone who comes to the Grotto, beginning with Bernadette, is marked with the Cross of Jesus Christ. And like our Divine Master on Calvary, we find Mary standing with us. She shares with us what she experienced with her Son. In God’s providence, we are not alone when difficulties that bring us here keep us apart or isolated. When so much is taken away we start to conclude that nothing matters – including ourselves.
A recent film about Lourdes – acted by children – has Bernadette asking this very question. She is given the response, “when we look at God we realize we are nothing; but when God looks at us, to Him we are everything.” In the Grotto, Mary is the echo of God’s word. As she sees the Cross in our lives, she sees the reason for His Cross in hers. She stands by us here in this “valley of tears” because she now stands beside her Son in heaven.
I know how that sounds. People in difficult situations are looking for resolution, not platitudes. Promises of heavenly consolation can seem rather dim without obvious solutions. I would agree with the skeptics or even the atheists except for the overwhelming experience of God’s compassion. From the human perspective, of all the things an omnipotent God could do or permit, He chooses above all to remain with us. His mercy finds reason to remain while those same reasons separate us from so much that was once so familiar. In other words, God is strong enough to be close to those who aren’t.
When our heavenly Father sees the Cross in our lives, He sees something familiar. When circumstances are difficult and finances are strained, He sees Bethlehem. When struggling to get by and learning to handle things, He sees Nazareth. When things start to get painful, He sees Calvary. The prayer of Christmas is also the prayer of Good Friday and Easter: “that you, Father, may see and love in us what you see and love in Christ.”
And in all these difficult places, Mary is there as well. She is the “smile of God” even in our tearful moments. That consolation cannot be measured in milligrams or show up on a CAT scan. But God knows – and I mean that one – we can’t survive without it. We are everything to God regardless of what we lack or have lost. The sign of the Cross made here by the woman of the Cross shows a certain family resemblance. Whether in Bethlehem or the neonatal ICU, weather on the Cross or in the MRI, we are family.
And there or here, by God’s grace, we can sing our “Ave” in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today is Saturday, 30 April unlike yesterday, we have sunshine and clear skies. Yesterday evening was particularly cold and weatherwise, nasty. The Rosary Procession was plain freezing. Many (including myself) actually headed out early before the end because it was just too cold and wet.
This morning is quite different thankfully. We had mass at the Grotto celebrated by Archbishop Dolan at 9:45 with all three American associations in addition to several English pilgrimages. It was also a first communion for two young ladies. What a marvelous day and place to receive first holy Communion.
,I am still trying to figure out how to post pictures to WordPress. So far it not been successful. Actually, I have not really have the opportunity to take as many pictures as I normally do. . To be honest, I don’t have the time and I know that there are so many others taking better pictures than I could.
We’re having lunch right now. At two o’clock they will be going to the Baths and then we will have a Eucharistic procession at four o’clock. This evening will be care givers night out and I’ll be heading out with a few of the younger pilgrims. So hopefully I will be able to be better at this blog.
Please pray for us as we continue to pray for you.
A Final Word and A New Way Friday, May 13 2011
In the cold dark of winter 2007, I received the invitation to apply as a malade for the May pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Order of Malta. It was one of the highlights of my life. And I firmly believe that one of the graces of that first pilgrimage was the invitation to return.
Four years later, I cannot imagine not being there. The Order of Malta continues to amaze me that the commitment and dedication to our Christian vocation is both real and possible. Every year, the May pilgrimage demonstrates this. The enthusiasm is contagious and happily consuming.
Aside from several technical problems, I realized my entry on Saturday was going to be my last. I just did not have the time or energy to keep up with it. The May pilgrimage is so short and packed there is little time for anything else. I was starting to see double late at night by the time everything was over.
So here is my idea. In the future, I’m going to plan on telling a single story of the day rather than flesh out a schedule. Those of you who have been to Lourdes know there is no way words or images can capture what the place is about. The message of Lourdes is never about what we do but what happens to us. I’m hoping this new direction will help us to understand that.
So to all the millions, if not billions, of my loyal readers, I am hoping this apology leads to a new effort. The wonderful thing about Lourdes is that should this blog prove insufficient to that end, the Grotto will still be there, only a plane ride away.
See you again in late July.