“There is something you need to understand, Father,” a man said to me a few years ago. “There is something you need to understand. Our Lady comes to the forgotten places. Our Lady comes to bring the light of Christ to the darkness. Our Lady came to the place where there was only garbage and she made it a place of healing. This is something you need to understand, Father.”
When Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France, there was no giant and glorious basilica near the Grotto. Our Lady did not appear inside the building of the parish church. She did not appear to the rich and the powerful. She did not appear to the benefactors of society. Our Lady appeared in a cave to a very poor little girl named Bernadette. The place where Our Lady appeared in Lourdes was used to pasture animals, to find firewood, and as the city garbage dump. And Our Lady changed that. St. Bernadette changed that. The people of God changed that. Ultimately, God has transformed a land for animals and for garbage into a place of mercy, grace, and healing.
Our Lady comes to the forgotten places. Our Lady comes to bring light in the darkness. Our Lady comes to take possession not only of forgotten places and damaged places and dirty places. Our Lady comes to extend her motherly care to forgotten persons and damaged persons and sinful persons. She is always extending a mother’s love.
Our Lady did not wait inside a building. She did not wait where it was safe and warm and comfortable. Our Lady is not simply waiting. Our Lady is looking. She comes to find those who are lost. She goes out to seek out those who are seeking. She looks for the poor and the humble and the neglected.
“There is something you need to understand, Father,” a man said to me a few years ago. “There is something you need to understand. Our Lady comes to the forgotten places. Our Lady comes to bring the light of Christ to the darkness. Our Lady came to the place where there was only garbage and she made it a place of healing. This is something you need to understand, Father.”
“I love the story of Our Lady of Lourdes,” I said to the man. “She came to the forgotten places, to the neglected places, to bring light in the darkness. Our Lady of Lourdes came to the city garbage dump and made it beautiful and holy.” And the man, taking a deep breath, said to me, “I love the story of Our Lady of Lourdes, too. But I am telling you my story. The love of Our Lady came to me when I was forgotten and lost and sinful and my life was like the city garbage dump. I am not saying that she appeared to me, but her love and her message, and her healing came to me. She received me as broken as I was and I hope that she has made me something beautiful for her Son.”
I looked back at the man, and I knew that Our Lady had made something beautiful for her Son. And there were only six words that I could muster to say to this man who had shared the love and healing and mercy of Our Lady with me. I said simply, “Father, please give me your blessing.”
And now I look to you, o people of Our Lady of Lourdes, and I see that Our Lady has made you, and hopefully us, something beautiful for her Son.
When Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France, there was no giant and glorious basilica near the Grotto. Our Lady did not appear inside the building of the parish church. She did not appear to the rich and the powerful. She did not appear to the benefactors of society. Our Lady appeared in a cave to a very poor little girl named Bernadette. The place where Our Lady appeared in Lourdes was used to pasture animals, to find firewood, and as the city garbage dump. And Our Lady changed that. St. Bernadette changed that. The people of God changed that. Ultimately, God has transformed a land for animals and for garbage into a place of mercy, grace, and healing.
Our Lady comes to the forgotten places. Our Lady comes to bring light in the darkness. Our Lady comes to take possession not only of forgotten places and damaged places and dirty places. Our Lady comes to extend her motherly care to forgotten persons and damaged persons and sinful persons. She is always extending a mother’s love.
Our Lady did not wait inside a building. She did not wait where it was safe and warm and comfortable. Our Lady is not simply waiting. Our Lady is looking. She comes to find those who are lost. She goes out to seek out those who are seeking. She looks for the poor and the humble and the neglected.
“There is something you need to understand, Father,” a man said to me a few years ago. “There is something you need to understand. Our Lady comes to the forgotten places. Our Lady comes to bring the light of Christ to the darkness. Our Lady came to the place where there was only garbage and she made it a place of healing. This is something you need to understand, Father.”
“I love the story of Our Lady of Lourdes,” I said to the man. “She came to the forgotten places, to the neglected places, to bring light in the darkness. Our Lady of Lourdes came to the city garbage dump and made it beautiful and holy.” And the man, taking a deep breath, said to me, “I love the story of Our Lady of Lourdes, too. But I am telling you my story. The love of Our Lady came to me when I was forgotten and lost and sinful and my life was like the city garbage dump. I am not saying that she appeared to me, but her love and her message, and her healing came to me. She received me as broken as I was and I hope that she has made me something beautiful for her Son.”
I looked back at the man, and I knew that Our Lady had made something beautiful for her Son. And there were only six words that I could muster to say to this man who had shared the love and healing and mercy of Our Lady with me. I said simply, “Father, please give me your blessing.”
And now I look to you, o people of Our Lady of Lourdes, and I see that Our Lady has made you, and hopefully us, something beautiful for her Son.
