Have you ever attended a multi-lingual, multi-racial prayer service? This is when you believe that the world does pray together in a universal language called faith. Here’s my story on faith.
There is something about Lourdes that one cannot explain. It calls you and only when the Lady knows you are ready can you proceed. As believed by many devotees, a promise to come back to Lourdes after your wishes are granted should never ever be dismissed.
My last visit to Lourdes, France must have been over 20 years ago. I had wished for a resolution to a health issue and prayed so hard. And it resolved. Call it a miracle or a coincidence, I choose to believe the former.
Last April, my friends and I planned a side trip to Lourdes before our Camino trek in Spain. But the original airline we chose suddenly had an issue and we changed airlines three days before departure – something I am not used to.
Our Lourdes trip was then cancelled and a rerouting had to be done to still meet our group date for the Camino. It was such a disappointment but we always believe there is a reason for these delays, what we now call or have read about as Burnt Toast theory. The theory says that sometimes when we burn our toast and things are not going as planned, these circumstances actually save us from what would have been an accident, a misfortune or mishap if we had proceeded with original plans. So when it was cancelled last April, I charged it to “burnt toast.”
This October we again put Lourdes at the top of our plans before our intended visit to Provence. Companions got sick and would not be able to make the quick connections between Paris and Lourdes. As I bought the tickets during Mercury retrograde (another inexplicable theory), everything as in everything had to change. Hotel bookings, airlines, train connections – all out the window. Another “burnt toast” situation? I just let it flow and did not stress about the changes.
Finally, we took a multi-transfer train ride from Avignon, taking almost six hours each way. But this is how She wanted it. And we would not have it any other way. A sacrifice is not a walk in the park but an understanding of circumstances and just letting it be.
We finally got to Lourdes and though it was raining, we saw the most spectacular nighttime procession attended by thousands of pilgrims at 9 p.m. The rosary was said by priests and leaders speaking a multitude of languages, but you seem to understand every word anyway. The songs echoed in the huge stadium-like underground structure, touching your heart and freeing your mind of any worry. Would I get sick in this rain, would I find my way home? Nobody cared about the weather.
The sanctuary is open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Even the stores remain open until almost midnight. Some come for a day, some a night and others volunteer to serve for weeks or months at the place of worship.
Groups from all parts of the world come and hold private masses in the many chapels and altars, like what we attended in the Chapel of the Adoration. Looking lost in the cold and dark morning at 6 a.m., we got an invitation to join a private mass of a small Chinese-speaking group from Malaysia.
Even through the rain we could visit the grotto, then climbed up the main altar to pay homage as we looked for the candles to be lit as an offering. Many friends, once they heard of our trip, asked for a candle to be lit for them – for many different reasons. And that is faith at work – a candle is a sign of hope that everything will turn out well, even after all the distractions.
There now are “electric” candles on a board that light up if you wish to donate and light one. As I am quite traditional I looked for the ones you light with real fire. And thank God we were led to the chapel where it was available. You can pay with cash or credit card and actually light real votives for every petition or wish. A bonus was listening to a singer who just suddenly sang “Ave Maria” before the next mass started.
“No wind, no rain can stop me” as the song goes. Our trip to Lourdes was not easy but it is its complexity that makes the sacrifice more meaningful and precious.
On the train ride back to Provence, we hit a delay that would of course domino into two more delays and for a while there I was worried. But the Lady has her reasons. We were transferred to a fast train (TGV) effortlessly and all I had to do was check my emails for updates on the situation. Truly, when it is time to visit, everything will fall into place. And She made sure we made our way back effortlessly, and just a bit off schedule, but a 30-minute delay on a six-hour train ride is nothing. People may say “you should have flown instead” but I would not have wanted it any other way. This trip was long, slow and so worth the time spent to visit Our Lady of Lourdes.
And for all the friends and family who asked, we lit all the candles you wished for. And when it is your time, She will call you and you will do as I did or even do better. Until then, when trips do not proceed as planned, just charge it to “burnt toast.”
But do come and pray with the rest of the world in Lourdes. It is touching, meaningful and life-changing. Use the language we all can speak – faith.