While on layover at Heathrow in London on our way to Lyon to begin our pilgrimage, an opening paragraph from Pope Francis’ final encyclical seems to summarize well the benefits of a pilgrimage in our world today:
The symbol of the heart has often been used to express the love of Jesus Christ. Some have questioned whether this symbol is still meaningful today. Yet living as we do in an age of superficiality, rushing frenetically from one thing to another without really knowing why, and ending up as insatiable consumers and slaves to the mechanisms of a market unconcerned about the deeper meaning of our lives, all of us need to rediscover the importance of the heart. (Dilexit Nos, Number 2)
A pilgrimage is an opportunity to visit holy sights where saints lived and died. It provides an opportunity to step away from the pace of life in order to ‘go deeper’ – which means to get to the ‘heart’ of one’s relationship with God. It is a time to revisit the ‘font of life’ and be renewed in the things that truly matter.
This pilgrimage will take us to the holy sights where saints lived, ministered, prayed, served, grew in holiness and died. We will visit Lourdes where the Blessed Mother appeared to a young woman, St. Bernadette Soubirous, encouraging her to prayer, humility and penance. She also revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception. Our Lady encouraged the recitation of the rosary and requested a church be built upon the sight of the apparition which included a source of healing waters.
As we spend this first day making our way to Lyon for our first night, I am calling to mind the many intentions, people and prayer requests that accompany myself and our group. The heart holds these prayers. One of my strongest intentions is that we may all rediscover the importance of the heart and the love that is the answer to all the ills of our time.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is ultimately where every saint eventually finds themself. Because of Jesus, “we have come to know and believe in the love that God has for us.” (1 John 4:16)
Know that each of you will be carried in my heart in these days and through our prayers, the intercessions of the saints and our Blessed Mother, carried to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. May you know his love!
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