June 17th, 11:23 PM

Fr. Ryan’s Homily - Day 7 Lourdes

Tonight feels different.

For seven days we have journeyed together through France. We have walked in the footsteps of saints. We have prayed in places where God has done extraordinary things. We have celebrated Mass in beautiful churches and shrines. Every stop has been a gift.

But I must confess something to you.

This is the place I have been waiting for.

Long before this pilgrimage was planned, long before flights were booked or itineraries were drafted, I knew that if I were ever blessed to lead my first parish pilgrimage, I wanted it to include Lourdes.

In fact, the seed for this pilgrimage was planted nearly a year ago. Last summer, while on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, I spent time praying at the Grotto there—a beautiful replica of this holy place. Sitting before Our Lady, I found myself praying about Saint David Parish, about our future, and about the possibility of making a pilgrimage together.

As I prayed, a thought kept returning to my heart: What if we could go to Lourdes?

And now, standing here tonight with all of you, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude. What began as a prayer before a grotto in Indiana has brought us to the grotto in Lourdes itself.

Only God can do that.

And only a mother could guide her children so gently along the way.

Because Lourdes is, above all, a place of a mother’s love.

When the Blessed Virgin appeared here in 1858, she appeared to a poor fourteen-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous. Mary did not choose someone powerful or important in the eyes of the world. She chose someone humble, someone overlooked, someone whose heart was open.

That is Mary’s way.

She comes not looking for greatness but for openness.

She comes not to the proud but to the humble.

She comes not to draw attention to herself but to bring us closer to her Son.

And that is why Lourdes has touched millions of pilgrims for more than 150 years.

People do not come here because of magnificent architecture.

They come because they encounter a mother.

They come carrying grief, illness, fear, disappointment, and hope.

They come with prayers for children and grandchildren.

They come seeking healing.

And Mary receives them all.

One of the things I love most about Lourdes is that it reminds us that we never suffer alone.

The world often teaches us to hide our wounds. Lourdes invites us to bring them into the light.

The world tells us to be self-sufficient. Lourdes teaches us to depend on God’s grace.

The world tells us to be strong. Lourdes teaches us to be trusting.

And that trust is what Bernadette teaches us so beautifully.

She did not understand everything that was happening. She simply said yes.

Mary asked her to come.

She came.

Mary asked her to pray.

She prayed.

Mary asked her to trust.

She trusted.

The same invitation is extended to us.

Tonight we will participate in the famous Candlelight Marian Procession.

Soon thousands of pilgrims from around the world will gather carrying candles into the darkness.

Every candle represents a story.

Every candle represents a prayer.

Every candle represents someone who has placed their trust in God through the hands of Mary.

As we walk tonight, I invite you to think about the intentions you carry in your heart.

Think about your family.

Think about those who are sick.

Think about those who have died.

Think about those who have asked for your prayers.

Think about our parish family back home at Saint David.

Carry them all with you.

And as the candles illuminate the night, remember that our faith was never meant to be lived alone. We walk together. We pray together. We hope together.

That is the beauty of pilgrimage.

That is the beauty of the Church.

And that is the beauty of Lourdes.

Tonight, let us entrust everything to Our Lady.

Let us place our hearts, our families, our parish, and our future into her hands.

For she is the mother who never abandons her children.

She is the Immaculate Conception who appeared to Bernadette.

She is the Lady of the Grotto.

She is Our Lady of Lourdes.

And she is our Mother.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.