Lourdes is a paradox: a dark cave from which light shines forward, the suffering gather in joy not sadness

Letter from Lourdes
Ellen Teague
 
Its Easter Week in Lourdes and a sunny afternoon in the prairie, across the river from the Lourdes Grotto. Groups of HCPT - The Pilgrimage Trust, which takes disabled and disadvantaged children to Lourdes, are playing on the grass. My group has completed the Stations of the Cross and is resting under trees near the River Gave that flows past the Grotto. We have reflected on retaining hope despite suffering, and trusting in God’s love. Several hundred groups attended the morning's annual Trust Mass in the underground basilica where we explored Jesus as the ‘living water’ in dance, drama and music.
 
In the distance groups are setting off in today’s Blessed Sacrament procession, standing out with their distinctive colours. At the other side of the river, a stream of people are visiting the Grotto. The town not only hosts HCPT, which is now an international pilgrimage for 4,000 people from 14 countries, but various pilgrimages. Young people of a large youth pilgrimage from the French dioceses obsessively charge their phones when they leave the domain.  
 
Yes, I have been drawn back to Lourdes for what must be around 20 times since 1980, most of them as a helper with HCPT. What is the attraction?
 
Well, I believe that this town in the foothills of the Pyrenees saw engagement between the divine and the human; that Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. There is an extraordinary sense of peace and tranquility here, and the natural environment adds to the sense of harmony. The Grotto beautifully frames the niche where a statue of Mary now stands, and surrounding greenery and bubbling river help us imagine that first day that Bernadette saw Mary as she gathered wood. The choice of Bernadette gives integrity of the Lourdes story. As Bernadette said herself: "The Blessed Virgin chose me only because I was the most ignorant." With six million visitors a year, clearly the desire remains to engage with the divine, and to do it through processions, drinking or washing in Lourdes water, and serving the vulnerable.   
 
I feel confirmed in my faith here and feel confident that the will of God will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Lourdes is a place of healing, hence sick people are pulled along in wheeled chairs or ‘chaise bleu’ in the domain area. Healing is a restoration of the spirit into wholeness, and that happens at Lourdes. Bereaved people feel close to those they have lost, and sickness and death are recognised as elements of life’s journey. People with disabilities enjoy positive discrimination, with those in wheelchairs jumping queues to move around the Grotto. I love two HCPT banners reading: ‘No one gets left behind’ and ‘Who cares, wins’.
 
Lourdes offers spiritual nourishment, but it is not an escape from the world. We pray for global peace and Pax Christi, the International Catholic Peace Movement, has a pavilion here. Justice in the world features at the City of the Poor, where the Sheepfold chapel  carries the words from Matthew, “I was hungry and you gave me food”. International concerns about increasing severe weather linked to climate change are felt here too. Lourdes and its shrine were flooded three times by exceptional raging torrents in 2013 and 2014.

Lourdes attracts volunteers on a huge scale, and so many are young people with the physical strength, stamina and exuberance to care for others in need. My own three boys – now in their 20s – have served and also learnt from young disabled how to lead fulfilled lives despite hardship and stress. Young people identify with Bernadette who was 14 years old at the time of the apparitions and inspires working towards the common good.
 
Lourdes welcomes young people. When the HCPT led the Blessed Sacrament procession on 20 April, the Lourdes authorities were flexible enough to permit HCPT to lead much of the music. It was a spiritual experience to hear ‘Let the living waters flow’ as people of all ages, races and abilities walked by the river on a golden afternoon towards benediction in the underground basilica. A sing-song followed which saw the formally dressed nurses of the Lourdes hospitals join in and dance. Lourdes has moved with the times in other ways too – the use of a drone to obtain stunning footage of the Blessed Sacrament procession, and, I’m afraid, the appearance of concrete bollards at the main entrances to the shrine to deter terrorist attacks.

My group felt kinship in Masses with pilgrims from around the world, such as our special friends from HCPT West Indies, whose chaplain played the violin as he concelebrated mass. Other happy memories include sharing meals around a table and good old conversation. And walking together in procession with the mind fairly emptied for prayer, reflection and listening. Lourdes is a place of paradox. Suffering people gather here but it is not a place of sadness but of joy. The Grotto is a dark cave and yet light shines forth from it. “If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again” said Bernadette; “… and have faith in God always”.