Words of reflection from Deacon John-Paul Evans on the recent Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes For me it has to be the Blessed Sacrament procession my reason for this is because it is so rare to see a procession of the Blessed Sacrament these days that I always look forward to it. To walk, to sing and to praise God while following Christ Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament is truly an awesome sight. It was somewhat of a surprise and indeed a great honour to take part by assisting the Bishop to carry the Blessed Sacrament to the underground Basilica, where a huge crowd of pilgrims, especially sick pilgrims, had assembled to adore the Risen Lord. Not only was it a great honour but it was an obviously joyful occasion and as I pondered what exactly it was we were doing it struck me that in this simple yet important liturgy, the Sacred Heart of Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament was there for us to worship and adore. It is not about long drawn out words and prayers, or even the vast quantities of people in the procession, it is about one word - The Word - Jesus Christ. We encountered Jesus Christ in the Gospel, in the priests and the people in the procession but also PHYSICALLY present on the altar! He blessed us with His presence. As people waited patiently bowing low with their faces to the floor, it was He who walked by granting His blessing. For me this is what makes Lourdes so amazing, you go for one reason and as soon as you get there, God shows you something different, He shows you the real reason you were called to go on pilgrimage. I set off on pilgrimage with the intention of praying and spending time in prayer, speaking to Our Lady to ask for her continuing prayers. But when I got there I found that she was, as she has always done, pointing to her son in the Blessed Sacrament. While in Lourdes one of the many holy and prayerful young people asked me to say something about the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. I had to admit I had no idea what to say, but while visiting the Parish Church of Lourdes all became clear. The parish church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and in the Sanctuary there is a fairly unique statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The statue depicts Christ standing pointing to a his exposed and wounded Sacred Heart. In the other hand he holds a chalice with a host seemingly floating above. This was exactly what I was looking for, when we see the host elevated above the chalice at Mass and the priest says the words of John the Baptist - Ecce Agnus Dei - Behold the Lamb of God, what we see is Jesus Christ. Just to gaze upon this miracle that is so often overlooked is a source of great joy. When we try to understand the miracles of Lourdes, the apparitions of Our Lady to. St.Bernadette, or the spring, or the other PHYSICAL headings, we must first look to Christ. For it is He who leads, it is He who forgives sins, and it is He who was brought into the world by Mary in the first place. Our Lady is great and beautiful because it was in her womb that the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus first started to beat. She appeared in Lourdes because God willed it and when she did appear she points us always to Christ her son! In order that this great mystery may continue we need priests. So just as I prayed at the grotto and asked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin and St. Jean Vianney I ask all of you who read these simple words to pray for an abundance of holy and zealous priests, to lead us in prayer, and to bring the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus to the people of our own diocese and to the whole world! Most Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Have mercy on us and send us Holy Priests To serve the Diocese of Lancaster and the whole world.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:30:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015