VATICAN CITY, 13 SEP 2008 (VIS) - At 4 p.m. today, the Holy Father departed from the apostolic nunciature in Paris and travelled to the city's Orly airport. There he boarded a plane which took him to Tarbes, whence he continued his journey to Lourdes by helicopter.
In his popemobile, the Pope covered the first three stages of the Jubilee Way, the itinerary that pilgrims to Lourdes are invited to follow for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin. At each of the stages, the Holy Father paused to pray.
The Way encompasses four places associated with the life of Bernadette: the font where she received Baptism; the 'Cachot', the house where her family lived; the Grotto of Massabielle, site of the apparitions of the Virgin and the heart of the Marian shrine; and the chapel in which she received First Communion. As the Pope arrived at the grotto, a child gave him a glass of water from the spring. The Holy Father then lit a candle and paused a moment to pray in silence before reading the prayer for this stage of the Jubilee Way. He then moved on to the St. Joseph Hermitage where he had dinner.
At 9.15 p.m. Benedict XVI went to the basilica where, from the lower terrace, he watched the closing stages of the torchlight procession of faithful from the Grotto of the Apparitions to the basilica.
The Pope opened his address to the assembled pilgrims by recalling that "150 years ago, on 11 February 1858, in this place known as the Grotto of Massabielle, away from the town, a simple young girl from Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous, saw a light, and in this light she saw a young lady who was 'beautiful, more beautiful than any other'. ... It was in this conversation, in this dialogue marked by such delicacy, that the Lady instructed her to deliver certain very simple messages on prayer, penance and conversion".
"Lourdes is one of the places chosen by God for His beauty to be reflected with particular brightness, hence the importance here of the symbol of light. ... Before the grotto, night and day, summer and winter, a burning bush shines out, aflame with the prayers of pilgrims and the sick, who bring their concerns and their needs, but above all their faith and their hope".
Benedict XVI indicated that "by coming here to Lourdes on pilgrimage we wish to enter, following in Bernadette's footsteps, into this extraordinary closeness between heaven and earth, which never fails and never ceases to grow. In the course of the apparitions, it is notable that Bernadette prays the rosary under the gaze of Mary, who unites herself to her at the moment of the doxology. This fact confirms the profoundly theocentric character of the prayer of the rosary. When we pray it, Mary offers us her heart and her gaze in order to contemplate the life of her Son, Jesus Christ".
After pointing out that John Paul II visited Lourdes on two occasions and "keenly encouraged the prayer of the rosary", the Pope also recalled how his predecessor had enriched the Rosary "with the meditation of the Mysteries of Light".
"The torchlight procession expresses the mystery of prayer in a form that our eyes of flesh can grasp: in the communion of the Church, which unites the elect in heaven with pilgrims on earth, the light of dialogue between man and his Lord blazes forth and a luminous path opens up in human history, even in its darkest moments".
The Holy Father emphasised how the procession "is a time of great ecclesial joy, but also a time of seriousness: the intentions we bring emphasise our profound communion with all those who suffer. We think of innocent victims who suffer from violence, war, terrorism, and famine; those who bear the consequences of injustices, scourges and disasters, hatred and oppression; of attacks on their human dignity and fundamental rights; on their freedom to act and think. We also think of those undergoing family problems or the suffering caused by unemployment, illness, infirmity, loneliness, or their situation as immigrants. Nor must we forget those who suffer for the name of Christ and die for Him.
"Mary", he added, "teaches us to pray, to make of our prayer an act of love for God and an act of fraternal charity. By praying with Mary, our heart welcomes those who suffer. ... Lourdes is a place of light because it is a place of communion, hope and conversion". Sin, by contrast, "makes us blind, it prevents us from putting ourselves forward as guides for our brothers and sisters, and it makes us unwilling to trust them to guide us. We need to be enlightened".
"In this shrine at Lourdes, to which the Christians of the whole world have turned their gaze since the Virgin Mary caused hope and love to shine here by giving pride of place to the sick, the poor and the little ones, we are invited to discover the simplicity of our vocation: it is enough to love".
"How many come here with the hope - secretly perhaps - of receiving some miracle; then, on the return journey, having had a spiritual experience of life in the Church, they change their outlook upon God, upon others and upon themselves", said the Pope in conclusion. "A small flame called hope, compassion, tenderness now dwells within them. A quiet encounter with Bernadette and the Virgin Mary can change a person's life, for they are here, in Massabielle, to lead us to Christ Who is our life, our strength and our light".
PV-FRANCE/TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION/LOURDES VIS 20080914 (950)
In his popemobile, the Pope covered the first three stages of the Jubilee Way, the itinerary that pilgrims to Lourdes are invited to follow for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin. At each of the stages, the Holy Father paused to pray.
The Way encompasses four places associated with the life of Bernadette: the font where she received Baptism; the 'Cachot', the house where her family lived; the Grotto of Massabielle, site of the apparitions of the Virgin and the heart of the Marian shrine; and the chapel in which she received First Communion. As the Pope arrived at the grotto, a child gave him a glass of water from the spring. The Holy Father then lit a candle and paused a moment to pray in silence before reading the prayer for this stage of the Jubilee Way. He then moved on to the St. Joseph Hermitage where he had dinner.
At 9.15 p.m. Benedict XVI went to the basilica where, from the lower terrace, he watched the closing stages of the torchlight procession of faithful from the Grotto of the Apparitions to the basilica.
The Pope opened his address to the assembled pilgrims by recalling that "150 years ago, on 11 February 1858, in this place known as the Grotto of Massabielle, away from the town, a simple young girl from Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous, saw a light, and in this light she saw a young lady who was 'beautiful, more beautiful than any other'. ... It was in this conversation, in this dialogue marked by such delicacy, that the Lady instructed her to deliver certain very simple messages on prayer, penance and conversion".
"Lourdes is one of the places chosen by God for His beauty to be reflected with particular brightness, hence the importance here of the symbol of light. ... Before the grotto, night and day, summer and winter, a burning bush shines out, aflame with the prayers of pilgrims and the sick, who bring their concerns and their needs, but above all their faith and their hope".
Benedict XVI indicated that "by coming here to Lourdes on pilgrimage we wish to enter, following in Bernadette's footsteps, into this extraordinary closeness between heaven and earth, which never fails and never ceases to grow. In the course of the apparitions, it is notable that Bernadette prays the rosary under the gaze of Mary, who unites herself to her at the moment of the doxology. This fact confirms the profoundly theocentric character of the prayer of the rosary. When we pray it, Mary offers us her heart and her gaze in order to contemplate the life of her Son, Jesus Christ".
After pointing out that John Paul II visited Lourdes on two occasions and "keenly encouraged the prayer of the rosary", the Pope also recalled how his predecessor had enriched the Rosary "with the meditation of the Mysteries of Light".
"The torchlight procession expresses the mystery of prayer in a form that our eyes of flesh can grasp: in the communion of the Church, which unites the elect in heaven with pilgrims on earth, the light of dialogue between man and his Lord blazes forth and a luminous path opens up in human history, even in its darkest moments".
The Holy Father emphasised how the procession "is a time of great ecclesial joy, but also a time of seriousness: the intentions we bring emphasise our profound communion with all those who suffer. We think of innocent victims who suffer from violence, war, terrorism, and famine; those who bear the consequences of injustices, scourges and disasters, hatred and oppression; of attacks on their human dignity and fundamental rights; on their freedom to act and think. We also think of those undergoing family problems or the suffering caused by unemployment, illness, infirmity, loneliness, or their situation as immigrants. Nor must we forget those who suffer for the name of Christ and die for Him.
"Mary", he added, "teaches us to pray, to make of our prayer an act of love for God and an act of fraternal charity. By praying with Mary, our heart welcomes those who suffer. ... Lourdes is a place of light because it is a place of communion, hope and conversion". Sin, by contrast, "makes us blind, it prevents us from putting ourselves forward as guides for our brothers and sisters, and it makes us unwilling to trust them to guide us. We need to be enlightened".
"In this shrine at Lourdes, to which the Christians of the whole world have turned their gaze since the Virgin Mary caused hope and love to shine here by giving pride of place to the sick, the poor and the little ones, we are invited to discover the simplicity of our vocation: it is enough to love".
"How many come here with the hope - secretly perhaps - of receiving some miracle; then, on the return journey, having had a spiritual experience of life in the Church, they change their outlook upon God, upon others and upon themselves", said the Pope in conclusion. "A small flame called hope, compassion, tenderness now dwells within them. A quiet encounter with Bernadette and the Virgin Mary can change a person's life, for they are here, in Massabielle, to lead us to Christ Who is our life, our strength and our light".
PV-FRANCE/TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION/LOURDES VIS 20080914 (950)
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