The Grotto at Lourdes by nightThe grotto at the heart of Lourdes is the place to which countless millions of people have come wanting to meet Mary, to pour out their troubles and worries and to express their gratitude for their joys and blessings.
With this message, Bishop Fintan Gavin welcomed the pilgrims on the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes to Mass at the Grotto, the place where Bernadette saw Our Lady in 1858.
“It is the place to which we come on pilgrimage to encounter the love, healing presence and welcome of Mary, the Mother who cares for us, and of Jesus, the merciful God who loves us,“ Bishop Fintan said.
Over 400 people from the Diocese of Cork and Ross are in Lourdes taking part in the annual pilgrimage.
The Grotto at Lourdes is a stepping stone to an encounter with Christ, he said.
“Throughout the apparitions, the Virgin always presents herself to Bernadette not as an end in herself but as the one who will assist her to gradually discover Christ.”
The water from the spring at Lourdes, Bishop Fintan said, connects us with our Baptism. And from our baptismal encounter with Jesus we are called to live our faith in our daily lives.
“We were all enlightened by Christ at the moment of our baptism. The light of his loving presence shone upon us at that moment and ignited the flame of faith in our hearts.”
“We are also challenged here in this wonderful place to allow the light of our faith to shine clearly and publicly so that it sheds light wherever we find ourselves, on all those whom we meet.”
