Keeping the flame of pilgrimage alive
Tuesday 6th August 2024Today, we celebrate the feast of The Transfiguration; a crucial moment in the Gospel stories, in which Jesus and his mission are revealed in glory.
The Gospels recount Jesus taking Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where they saw Christ “shining like the sun” and speaking with Moses and Elijah.
Amazed by what he was seeing, Peter remarked “how good it is that we are here”, offering to make up tents for the group to prolong their mountain-top experience. But Christ had a mission, with Peter and the disciples having their own role to play, so the group returned back down the mountain to bring that mission to its fulfilment.
Today, Rev. Luke Bradbury – a transitional deacon of our diocese – reflects a little more on today’s feast, through the lens of our recent pilgrimage to Lourdes, helping us to keep the spirit of prayer and pilgrimage alive now we, too, have descended from our own mountain-top experience:
Whenever we make a pilgrimage, wherever it may be, we have a “mountain top experience.” I’m sure you will know the story of The Transfiguration, if not, read Matthew Chapter 17.
The “mountain top experience” that Peter, James, and John had is in some way like our encounter with our own faith in Lourdes: You and I are in awe of everything, the Catholic faith is so visibly active, and then at the blink of an eye, we are sat on our couch suffering from the dreaded post-Lourdes blues.
However, leaving from a “mountain top experience” doesn’t mean we can’t take it home with us and relive it to some extent.
Here are a few tips to help you process and squeeze out every ounce of goodness from these experiences.
- This experience is not over – in so many ways, what you have experienced in Lourdes will transform your lives in some way. Take some time in the next few weeks to look back on your time in Lourdes. Bring to prayer the many people you have assisted, the people you have met and the experiences you have encountered.
- Keep in contact with your new friends – for me, this has always been so important when leaving Lourdes. I have met so many wonderful friends throughout my years coming to Lourdes. Each of them, in their own beautiful way, encourage me to deepen my faith.
- Focus on scripture, prayer and love for our neighbour – Lourdes is a place where we give so much, but it is also a time and place where we receive so much more. Ask yourself: “now that I am home, how can I continue to deepen my relationship with the Lord?”
- Get others involved – take whatever you have received from Lourdes back to your schools, colleges and parishes, encourage your friends to come next year! As you know, they will not be disappointed.
The candle that we light after the closing Mass will continue to shine bright in Lourdes. Let us keep that flame alive, not just in Lourdes but throughout our lives.
