To be a part of something

My time in Lourdes was very spiritual, refreshing, and humbling. It opened my heart, mind, and soul to hope and inspiration. I have never seen so many sick and ailing people in one location all holding on to the belief that they may get well. Instead of looking at it negatively and with pity for these people, I now respect them and cherish them for their relentlessness and their calm. God is very much here in this little town of Lourdes. What a great way to start my adventure. I am cleansed of my burdens, worries, and sins. I feel ready to tackle this new adventure with bright eyes, an open heart and a focused mind.

What about our second day has me so calm, focused and at ease? Well, let me tell you all about it. We started with mass at nine...although we got lost because there are so many masses going on in so many different languages and in so many different chapels that we made it half way through, but enjoyed it all the same. It was only 40 minutes long! Talk about taking out all the pomp and circumstance. The readings and the responsorial were read within seconds after each other. And then after a brief alleluia, the gospel was read. The Eucharist, Our Father and all that were bam, bam, bam - consecutive. I liked it. I used to dread mass because of how long it took. I know most masses only take an hour. I guess it's not really the time but the ceremony of it all. I always imagined the re-enactment of the Last Supper would be among firends and family - comfortable, personal and easy going much like a normal meal. This mass wasn't like I had always imagined, but it was a great deal simpler than masses that I have attended prior. There were no painfully bad choirs singing and taking their precious time to belt out all six verses of the Eucharist song. We sang acapella and we did well. The priest offered his thoughts on the gospel and how it pertained to our normal lives. It wasn't too preachy. Maybe it was a little bit but the homily today (Monday) was quite simple and humble. There was no bell ringing, no kneeling/standing/sitting.kneeling, etc. People acted as they felt was proper and if you liked, you could sit the entire time. Although the mass was rigid in format - readings, gospel, homily, Eucharist - it wasn't a show. Do any of you know what I mean?

Then, after mass we had a nice breakfast at a cafe. Quick digression: We made friends with our waiter and when we went there for dinner we found out he has a US Quarter collection of all the fifty states. He said  he was missing Hawaii and New Mexico. Such a sweetheart. At the end of dinner, we got the card of the cafe with the address and his name. Pierino. My mom plans on sending him a 2 dollar bill, dollar coins, and the missing state quarters.  

Then we decided to walk around the town until the 5pm procession to the church of Pius X. It was nice, but very obvious that most of the locals profit from the 5,000,000 pilgrims that come every year. Still, we stumbled upon another church in the area and spent a few minutes there reflecting. My dad spent a good amount of time looking for the best deal on these bottles in the shap of Virgin Mary so that he could fill them with the water of the spring St. Bernadette dug herself and give them to his friends. I did the same, but I bought these adorable glass bottles. And yes, I spent a good amount of time looking for the best deal. Seriously, people can rip you off if you don't shop around first; especially if everyone is selling the same thing. You might see the rosary you bought at one shop for 5 euros cheaper than where you actually bought. That's always a bummer.

Next, we all split up in the early afternoon. I walked around, bought some ice cream and filled my bottles. It was really lovely to do so on my own. See, I tend to like doing things on my own. I don't really like to wear my heart on my sleeve. I filled the bottles, said my prayers, washed my face and neck and drank the delicious water from the tap. There is a long stretch of taps beside the great Church of the Immaculate Conception. The church is built upon the site where St. Bernadette saw Mary 18 times. I should probably tell you the story.

Bernadette Soubirous came from a very poor family. She was the eldest child of five, I believe. One day, she saw a vision of a small woman in a white robe wearing a blue girdle with yellow roses on her feet. The woman smiled at her and asked her to come to the grotto to see her for 15 days. She told her family and at first they thought she was mentally ill and refused to let her go. In the end, she convinces her parents and she vistied the grotto. Of course, everyone in the town caught wind of what she was doing and she was received with mixed responses. Some believed her and come with her to the grotto; some thought she was crazy and wanted her to be put away and some didn't know what to think. She was brought into question. People wanted proof. They wanted to know to whom she was speaking. I think it was by the 11th visit or so the woman finally told her she was of the Immaculate Conception. Who else could that be? During her visits to the grotto, Mary asked Bernadette to have chapel built in that place. She told Bernadette to drink and bathe in the spring and eat the herbs that grew there. Funny enough, there was no spring in the grotto. Bernadette began to dig and after a while fresh water began to flow forth. Amazing. Bernadette soon became tired of the attention the visions brought her so she joined a convent where she spent the rest of her short life. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 33.

Voila. So the taps. Why are there taps when in the story I wrote of a spring? I'm guessing to protect the purity of the water, the town of Lourdes created a system so that the water was both protected and easily accessible by many.

Alright, then by 4 in the afternoon my parents and I were back in the room. We rested a bit and made our way to the main square. It took a bit of a tussle. My dad has been quite stubborn during this trip, but we made our way to the starting point of the procession which was across the grotto on the other side of the river. The music started and we watched hundreds of people in wheelchairs pass by with their nurses or volunteers pushing or pulling. What a sight, what a moving, heart opening sight. My mom cried. I understood. I wanted to cry too, but again, I hate to wear my heart on my sleeve, but I will tell you this: I walked for every one of you. I walked for my friends, my family, the sick, the unhappy, the poor, the rich, the unaware. My heart reached out to every single person my life, my presence, my skin has touched. I walked for you that day. I asked that you may all find peace, may all let your hearts fill with love, strength, compassion and courage. I asked that you might all heal from whatever hurt you feel whether it be physical, emtional, relational, mental or anything else. I asked that you all feel loved.

Deep breath. We followed the procession to the Grand Mary statue and followed the long path down one way and up the other to the church of Pius X which is underground and can hold 25,000 people. From what I could tell, the church was nealry full. Wow, right? Wow! It was a great ceremony and I could feel the Spirit there. I could feel everyone's belief coming together and creating a huge collection of love, faith and peace. We were all connected that day. I felt very honored to be a part of that community of lovers, believers, human beings.

And today, we went to church again. We walked through the grotto and reflected. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast and lunch. We drank from the taps and washed ourselves on more time. And now, we'll be walking to the train station to head to Paris. I am ready to take this experience head on. I hope to be brave and kind and open. I hope to make friends. I hope to make smart choices. I hope to have the best time of my life. I hope to travel. I hope to be fluent in French. I hope that these three months help me to become the best human being I can be and prepare me for what's next.

Amen. :)