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They have no wine

(Jn 2:3)

            I had a meeting in Helsinki so I decided to bring Jean along and go on pilgrimage to Lourdes after the meeting. The three-day meeting ended at noon on 28 May. That same afternoon Jean and I left for Paris.

            Our first stop the following day was the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, which was built in 1163 and completed in 1345. Upon entering the cathedral, we were immediately struck by its immense size, which can accommodate as many as 9000 persons. At the pier on the north side we saw the famous statue of Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) dating from the 14^th century. We lighted some candles, made some offering and knelt down to pray.

            At noon there was a Mass at the main altar (a restricted area). After talking with the guard, we were allowed in and we were thus able to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion on our first full day in Paris.

            Our next stop was the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at 140 rue du Bac. It was not in the usual list of attractions in Paris but since we knew the address, the taxi driver did not find it difficult to find. It was here in the Chapel of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul that the Blessed Mother appeared several times to Sister Catherine Laboure in 1830.

            It was on 27 November 1830 when the Blessed Mother asked Catherine to have a medal made. In the words of Sister Catherine: A frame, slightly oval in shape, formed round the Blessed Virgin. Within it was written in letters of gold: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” The inscription, in a semi-circle, began at the height of the right hand, passed over the head, and finished at the height of the left hand.

            Then the voice said: Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for those who wear it with confidence.

            At this instant the tableau seemed to me to turn, and I beheld the reverse of the medal: a large M surmounted by a bar and a cross; beneath the M were the hearts of Jesus and Mary, one crowned with thorns, the other pierced with a sword.

            The proper name of the medal is the Medal of the Immaculate Conception and it was so called in the beginning. But because of the many miracles associated with the wearing of the medal, people started calling it the Miraculous Medal. The Medal received liturgical approbation when a Mass and Office was assigned in its honor in 1895. It is one of only three sacramentals in the history of the Church to be thus liturgically honored, sharing its distinction with the Rosary and the Brown Scapular.

            At the altar of the chapel, we saw the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure. We stayed to pray and reflect. In the late afternoon a priest came out and led the prayers. Since it was in French, we could not understand the prayers but we surmised that the Hail Mary was being prayed repeatedly.

            The following day we left Paris by train for the five-hour trip to Lourdes.

            We stayed three days and two nights in Lourdes. Every morning we walked from our hotel to the Grotto of Massabielle where in 1858 the Blessed Mother appeared to a fourteen-year old peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous. We walked back to our hotel at eleven in the evening.

            Three times we joined the long line of people to the Grotto, to touch the rock where the Blessed Mother appeared, look at the spring of water that still flows from the hole that Bernadette dug up at the request of the Blessed Virgin, and say our prayers together with our petitions to the Lady of Lourdes. Twice we joined and witnessed the Eucharistic procession and blessing of the sick at 4:30 in the afternoon. Also twice we joined the candlelight procession at 8:45 in the evening.

            We went to confession at the Chapel of Reconciliation and prayed the Lourdes Way of the Cross as we went through the 15 large stations placed along a winding road that goes up a steep hill of about 1600 meters. We prayed the rosary many times, at the Rosary Basilica, at the Church of St. Bernadette, and in front of the Grotto. We joined the long line of people going to the Baths where we prayed and were immersed into the water freely flowing through 17 baths cut into the rock.

            We attended Mass and received Holy Communion at the Hemicycle (where the Conference of Bishops of France meets each autumn) of the Church of St. Bernadette. We washed our face and drank water from the taps situated on the left side of the Grotto and asked God to purify our hearts. We collected four liters of water to be brought home for distribution to friends, relatives and members of the CFC community.

            We saw hundreds of people who were sick and crippled; and hundreds of volunteers who care for these people during their stay in Lourdes.

            We did not want to leave Lourdes. We felt the presence of our Blessed Mother. We felt the presence of Jesus. We felt the presence of God.

            We have experienced a little bit of heaven in Lourdes. From the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal at rue du Bac in Paris to the Grotto at Massabielle in Lourdes, we have felt the overwhelming love and affection of the Blessed Mother. She has always wanted to help her children. She has given the Miraculous Medal so that “graces will be in abundance for those who have confidence.” She has given the miraculous water of Lourdes where thousands have been physically healed. She has obtained all these from her Divine Son, Jesus, our Lord and God.

            Indeed, my brothers and sisters, she constantly looks at our sad plight and suffering and she tells her Son: They have no wine! (Jn 2:3) And the miracle at Cana is repeated again and again.

            It was evening when we returned to Paris. The following day we still had plenty of time because our flight back was not until seven in the evening. But Jean and I did not feel like going out to see other sights. We had seen a great treasure, and everything else did not appear to be that important.

            There were still a number of sites in our list but one stood out: Le Sacre-Coeur. We felt a strong urge to visit this place, which was located majestically on the top of the hill of Montmarte, thus giving a breathtaking view of Paris. We found out, to our pleasant surprise, when we entered the imposing Romanesque and Byzantine building, that Le Sacre-Coeur was the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A magnificent image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was on the main altar. And then we saw that the Blessed Sacrament was perpetually exposed at the main altar.

            We knelt and prayed, and stayed for the rest of the afternoon. As I reflected and gazed at the Blessed Sacrament, the thought that came to me was: To Jesus through Mary! To Jesus through Mary! To Jesus through Mary!

            We met Mary, Our Lady of Paris (Notre Dame de Paris); we felt Mary, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal; we saw Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes – and she led us at the end of our pilgrimage to her Son, Jesus; not just to the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

            We had “wine” in abundance as we boarded the plane for the 15-hour flight to Singapore and Jakarta. Our prayer while on the plane was and continue to be: Our Lady, Notre Dame de Paris, Notre Dame de rue du Bac, Notre Dame de Lourdes, we thank you for leading us to your Son at the end of our pilgrimage in France. Please lead us also to your Son at the end of our pilgrimage here on earth. Amen.

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