Oblate News

Digital Pilgrimage Day 1 – Join the Lourdes Pilgrimage in Prayer

Saturday 14th September

Fr Liam Griffin OMI preaches at the opening mass of our pilgrimage

‘Blessed are the Poor; the Kingdom of God is theirs’

Through these Prayers and Reflections, we join our prayers and intentions with those of our Pilgrims in Lourdes. As we accompany them and pray for them, we are assured that they are praying for us.

14th September 2019

The pastoral message for our pilgrimage to Lourdes this year is Blessed are the poor; the Kingdom of God is theirs. Jesus is not saying that being poor in any way is a good thing; there is no virtue in being poor.

As Christians we are called to alleviate poverty in all its forms in our world today. The tender invitation from Jesus to each of us is, ‘Come to me all you who are over burdened and laboured and you will find rest.’

Try as we might, we can’t rely on our strength and resources to soothe our pain, suffering or inner poverty. Eventually we have to reach out to Jesus as he reaches out to us. In the gospel we have many examples of Jesus stretching out his hands to touch and embrace to those who are in pain.

One such person said to Jesus, ‘If you want to you can heal me.’ Jesus replied, ‘Of course I want to heal you.’ Those who travel to Lourdes do so for many different reasons. While many are not actually cured, many more are deeply healed as they pray at the Grotto, walk the Way of the Cross, pray the Rosary with others and wash in the baths and the Sacred Water of Lourdes.

Jesus does not save us from us from our pain and poverty; he saves us through our pain and poverty. If we can approach Jesus in faith, honesty and humility, he will reach to touch us and say, ‘Of course I want to heal you.’

This week, through these short prayerful reflections, we are invited to join our prayers and intentions with those who have travelled to Lourdes as pilgrims. But as we sit at home, we too can be pilgrims with them. As we pray for them, they are praying for us. Together, we form the Oblate Family united in heart and prayer.

A Prayer Suggestion:   In your personal prayer today, offer decade of the Rosary for all those who are in Lourdes this week; all the pilgrims and all the many volunteers who are there to care for the sick.

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