Our Pilgrimage

On July 10^th I and several of my religious brothers left to make a pilgrimage to Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. It was an experience that I will never forget. We were greeted by brothers from 11 different countries. The purpose: to re-discover our roots where we began as missionaries, to get to know our founder St. Eugene deMazenod better, and to come to a deeper understanding of our Oblate Spirituality. It was a blessed time as we prepared (21 men in all) to make our perpetual professions.  

Once we left Aix we traveled to Lourdes: The place where a small, lowly girl was graced with the apparitions of our Mother Mary. We went to Lourdes to work. We gave tours in the sanctuaries and the places where Bernadette walked. We assisted pilgrims in the Youth Village. We attended Mass in various places: The Grotto, The Crypt Church, A house for former drug users an underground Basilica that held 25,000 people from all over the world. And then there were the baths. We assisted in helping people into the baths as they prayed for healing. We prayed with them, we prayed for them and we gave thanks to God for this privileged opportunity. Many pilgrims had to be laid in stretchers before they could go into the baths and we helped there too as well. It was during these moments that I was most grateful for the opportunities and the grace to be able to be with people in these sacred moments of their lives. It was here that some of my own questions were answered. As each person entered the water I tried to be aware and look at each person through the eyes of the crucified savior. I knew in my heart they had great faith and witnessing their faith increased my faith 10 fold.  

As I approach my own perpetual vows I keep hearing the words of our founder over and over: We first teach people that they are human – children of God, then we can teach them what it means to be a Christian and finally we can help them to be saints. So many people in our world are treated as if they do not have humanity, as if they are things that can be used and tossed away. How can we reach them, love them and teach them? I seem to have more questions than answers. Perhaps you have an answer.

How do you look at the world? How do you view the people in the world? As Oblates we look at people through the eyes of the crucified savior – Jesus Christ. St. Eugene knew the power Christ and had an intimate experience that allowed him to come to know Jesus as a savior of humanity. Do we know this? Do we truly realize what it means that we have been saved because of the acts of Jesus Christ? What a great gift we have!

You too are loved and because you are loved you may approach Jesus at any moment of the day. You can ask for forgiveness when needed, you can give thanks at all times, you can praise him and you can teach others that they too are children of God. You can show them what it means to be a Christian by your own actions and then you can help others to become saints. Have faith in that.

Praised be Jesus Christ…