2020-02-09 - Sunday Observance of Our Lady of
Lourdes Day – 5th Sunday in ordinary time
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Isaiah 58:7-10 __ Psalm 112 __ 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 __ + Matthew 5:13-16
Title: Lourdes, Light of the World
(2020-02-09, Parish Feast Day)
[_01_] This Sunday – we anticipate the Feast of Our Lady
of Lourdes Day which is Tuesday February 11 – and our devotion to Our Lady of
Lourdes originates with the first grotto – or cave – of Lourdes which is
depicted in the mosaic tile painting over our altar where we see Bernadette on
the RIGHT praying with her rosary and
the Blessed Virgin Mary on the LEFT.
[_02_] One day – it was February 11, 1858 –
Bernadette went out to collect firewood, which was good. It was cold in winter in
southwestern France. Bernadette came from a very poor family. Bernadette’s
family was living, essentially, in a debtor’s jail, unable to pay back the
money they owed.
And, they were very poor. While
gathering the firewood, Bernadette sees a vision. Bernadette describes this –
in her dialect – as a petito damizelo,
a petite damsel, or "a small young lady" or “beautiful lady” “beautiful girl.”
No one believes Bernadette when she
returns. Bernadette does not command respect, as young and uneducated peasant.
But, Bernadette insists on what she
saw, that she saw a beautiful lady.
Her family does not believe her. The
priests – “fathers” – do not believe her.
While not believing Bernadette, they
also decide to put Bernadette’s
insistence to the test in this way. They
tell her to ask the beautiful lady of her identity, her name.
[_03_] So,
Bernadette – at the next opportunity – asks the
“petito
damizelo” (beautiful lady) for her identity – who are you?
Bernadette was told: “I am the
Immaculate Conception.”
This causes more problems – at least in
the short term – for Bernadette – because no one had ever spoke about Mary and
the Immaculate Conception in quite that way.
At that time, no one said: “Mary is
the Immaculate Conception”, but would
have said Mary was immaculately conceived or … people would have said, “please
open your hymnals to number 783, Immaculate Mary.”
People would have said “Immaculate
Mary” but to say “Mary is the Immaculate Conception” would have sounded awkward.
It may even sound awkward to us, but
it was even moreso in the mid 19th century in France.
Bernadette insists on this wording,
over and over again.
And, this insistence ultimately makes
her credible – believable – because they recognize that the only way for
Bernadette to know the words “Immaculate Conception” was for this to have been
divinely revealed.
Bernadette did not know her catechism.
Bernadette could make the sign of the cross to pray her rosary, but Bernadette
really did not know what the Holy Trinity was. So, Bernadette certainly did not
know what the Immaculate Conception was, and no one backed up her story.
As great attention came to Bernadette at
Lourdes, as pilgrims and visitors came to Lourdes, and also to see Bernadette,
she herself shunned and spurned all fame and all notoriety that came her way as
result of these visions.
Bernadette is an example of a humble person,
a humble disciple and to live as Jesus calls us to live as the “light of the world”
and salt of the earth.
Bernadette could also see what others could
not see and feel what others could not feel.
In the letter to the Hebrews, chapter 11,
verse 1, we read this famous definition of faith or confidence in God:
“faith is
the realization of what is hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews
11:1)
Bernadette manifests that faith.
[_04_] About
a year before I entered the seminary, I read the famous book/novel/novella – by
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - The Little Prince.
The Little Prince was also a favorite book of
our beloved pastor of many years, Monsignor Joe Petrillo .
The
Little Prince appears to be a children’s book but it certainly is not exclusively
for children and has much wisdom for grown-ups. One famous quotation: “The most beautiful things in the
world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”
Bernadette sees what others do not
see, expresses what others cannot express – yet.
[_05_] Sometimes,
people will ask me – why did you become a priest? How did you know you wanted
to be a priest?
I wish I could you tell you there was
one single a-ha moment or an bright illumination such as a huge Thomas-Edison-light-bulb
over my head to indicate the way forward.
That is not how it happened; that’s
not really how life works out. Mine was a gradual experience of being called in
this way.
Even being called that I did not know
that I was called.
For example – I was in college doing
my studies and I was not thinking about being a priest. I was just thinking about
the job I was going to get to make money, and hoping for a lot of money, after
college.
That was my goal.
I remember we had a Catholic Mass on
campus every Saturday afternoon. A priest from the local area would come and
celebrate the Mass at about 5pm. We would take a break to go there.
One of my friends and– Victor. He wanted to
go but he could never remember to go. Because he was pre-med and very absorbed
in molecular biology, organic chemistry. And there was no way, he was going to remember
to go to church on his own and interrupt himself on his own. So, I
would invite him …want to go?
At one point, he told me that he
wanted me to remind, “Jim I want you to remind me.” He wanted to be invited. He
wanted to be interrupted.
It was an alert to me that my reminder
– my witness – mattered to someone else.
Your witness – your testimony – your prayers
– matter, which others perhaps cannot see or do not see, matter.
And, the most beautiful things in the
world are those we cannot see matter to God, matter to those who do see you
here, matter to those who do not see you here.
It matters to me that you are here. It
matters to those around you that you are here. It is beautiful that you are
here, that we are here together, that this witness matters to our world and
helps to build up the Body of Christ in the world.
It reminds us that.. “faith is
the realization of what is hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews
11:1)
“The most beautiful things in the
world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” (The Little Prince)
Notre Dame de Lourdes, priez pour nous.
Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, pray for us. [_fin_]
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