Pilgrimage

On May 13th, 1917, three shepherd children, Luca Santos, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, it is claimed, saw an apparition of the Mother of Jesus at Fatima in Portugal. She is now known as Our Lady of Fatima. It is claimed that Our Lady has appeared in many places across the world to many different people. In England she is associated with Walsingham in Norfolk, in France with Lourdes for example. I have visited the former once, the latter many times. 

I have no doubt as to the sincerity of the visionaries. What they have seen, heard , experienced I have read about but find it hard to absorb and comprehend. I am sure that what they say is to be trusted as genuine for them: they do not lie. How to unscramble the truth of it all is almost pointless, unnecessary and irrelevant to me. To me the greater truth is in the reaction of others. My visits to Lourdes, indeed my pilgrimages, have had a profound effect not so much on my faith but on my approach and attitude to living.

My reaction to Lourdes is multifaceted. I was appalled and mesmerised by the commercialism of it: the thousands of trinkets, souvenirs and pious memorabilia in the bustling shops. The mass of bars , restaurants, eateries plus the many hotels and 'pensionnes' the whole business environment geared to tourists and pilgrims. The 5 star hotel where I spotted Bishops and Cardinals to the caravan parks to those sleeping in tents and those kipping  rough. The beer guzzling loud youth, the refined elderly day tripper, the restaurant clientele...an international crowd from places including the Middle East and China. 

One group I was with decided to hold a competition to find the most vulgar, 'naff' souvenir. Third place was a statuette of the sacred heart which pulsated light when a coin was fed in. Second was a toilet paper holder which when the paper was pulled burst in to a hymn to Our Lady, Ave, ave, ave Maria. The winner was an 8 inch steel sharp bladed flick knife with an engraving of Our Lady on the blade and the words 'Queen of Peace', a more deadly blade I have rarely seen. 

This contrasted profoundly with the large area ( known as the Domaine) around the grotto wherein Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette. Here were hospitals for the hundreds of thousands of sick who came. Here were churches filled with services and pilgrims and praying figures and families and groups. In the Domaine were huge numbers of people and a deep silence and a tangible atmosphere of faith  and hope. Here was a long orderly queue waiting to pass in and through the grotto and then to the baths filled with water from the grotto spring where people bathed and prayed. Silence reigned as well as devotion and a feeling of deep human camaraderie. 

The depth of faith, the fervour of the people, the remarkable care and consideration of the sick stood out. I would say love was palpable. It was a different experience, a numinous tangible feeling wherein worldly priorities retreated from the deeply human and spiritual and personal. All of this can be explained if wanted .

All I know is that it was a holy place, a sanctuary. I do not know what I mean by it but I would say I was in the presence of God. I do not mock dreams and visions but I suppose I judge them by their fruits. 

#lourdes #miracles #walsingham #bernadette #domaine #portugal #france