Water Walk # 8, Lourdes

In Jerusalem, a crowd of paralysed, lame and blind – invalids as we call them today, used to gather around Bethesda pool which was very close to the Temple. Rumour had it that, from time to time, the water was stirred up and whoever steeped in first afterwards was then healed.
Jesus comes to this place where misery and hope meet. He sees a man who has been crippled for 38 years. This man has no hope left. Misery is his lot.
- Do you want to be made well?
The sick man answers him:
-I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is rising.
Jesus is not going to put him into the pool. He only says to him:
-Stand up, take your mat and walk! (John 5:1-9)

This man is old. He is an invalid and has no one. He would like to be healed. Otherwise, he would not be there. But he has no hope left. When Jesus asks him the questions: Do you want to be made well? He does not dare answer “yes.” He does not want to be disappointed, once more. As the prophet says, “you are this man.” Like him, we tend to be disillusioned men and women, without help, without hope.

But Jesus arrives unexpectedly. He gives the word which frees. After that, it is up to the invalid to believe the word of Jesus, obey his order and get up. If we do not walk further on God’s paths, it is because, deep down, we have given up. We do not believe any longer that God can revive our tired souls.

It is interesting to have used the name of Bethesda here, on the Water Walk in Lourdes, since Jesus did not plunge the invalid into the pool. This is to keep us from a magical interpretation. The water is a sign, but the reality, it is the grace of God. When Bernadette was questioned about the miracles, she said that they were not to be attributed to the spring itself, but to faith and prayer.

Whatever the sites of Apparition, Mary never appears as an old woman. She is not old because as George Bernanos said, she is “younger than sin, younger than the race from which she is descended, she is the youngest of the human race.” Today, by her Assumption into heaven, she has entered God’s Eternity.
Eternity is an everlasting youth, an inexhaustible spring, like that of the Grotto.

Water Walk #7, Lourdes

If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you: “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. (John 4:10)

How could she have known, this woman of Samaria, who Jesus was? Jews and Samaritans did not mix, and if they did, they mixed rather badly.

Jesus surprises everyone when he addresses the Samaritan woman. The woman is not going to believe him straight away. But at least, she stops; she answers; she argues. As we come to this fountain, this is the first grace we should ask for: that again Jesus disconcerts us and that He may not let us go until we answer.

Jesus continues: Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But those who drink of the water I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. (John 4:13-14)

What is this water? It is the Holy Spirit. Jesus states it very clearly in Saint John’s gospel: Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said: “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” Now He said this about the Spirit, which believers in Him were to receive. (John 7:37-39)

The woman from Samaria had not understood all that. She had been so disconcerted that she had left her jug there and then, and had run away to tell the people of the town.

All her life, Mary will have been surprised by her Son: from the visit of the angel, to the Cross. She did not understand everything straight away. But she kept everything in her heart and she believed; she hoped. She, who was full of grace, is to be found again in the Cenacle, with the disciples, when the Holy Spirit gives them the strength to risk their lives to proclaim the Gospel of the Resurrection.

Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of the Living Water, “Abode of the Holy Spirit,” make us ask for the Holy Spirit, Your Son assured us: the Father will not fail to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

Water Walk #6, Lourdes

When visiting Nazareth, one cannot miss the “Fountain of the Virgin,” and just beside, the corresponding spring situated in an orthodox church. Nazareth reminds us of Mary, as she daily collects the water at the fountain, like all the other women of the village. Nazareth reminds us of Bernadette. On the day of the Annunciation, Mary was probably not much older than Bernadette in 1858: 14 years of age. The beautiful lady first appears to Bernadette as “a little demoiselle,” not much taller than herself.

Thirty years after the day of the Annunciation, Jesus left to announce the Gospel. In Saint Matthew, his first words are: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the pure in heart; blessed are you when people utter all sorts of evil against you falsely on my account.”

The Beatitudes are the portrait of Jesus, but are also the portrait of Mary and, to a lesser extend, of all Christians. They are also the portrait of Bernadette. She was poor, in spirit and in worldly goods: and she always wanted to remain so. She had character, but she was gentle with the sick. Nowadays, she is venerated by everyone, but, at the time, many treated her as a liar.

Blessed are you, my Lord for sister Water, which is so useful and so humble, and so precious and so chaste. These words of Saint Francis express so well the spirit of Nazareth, the beatitudes of the purity of spirit, according to the Gospel. At this fountain, let us drink of the Spirit of the Beatitudes. May it refresh us in body and spirit.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Beatitudes, “Gate of Heaven,” make us enter into your humility. In Nazareth, you kept, in your heart, all that the Lord did. Teach us to be grateful and to give thanks to the Lord.

Water Walk #5, Lourdes

It was a time of desperation. Jerusalem had been taken over, the Temple destroyed and the population exiled. But the prophets are there to announce that God has not said His last word. The people will return to His land. A new temple will be built.

What is the use of a Temple? To gather the faithful on days of celebrations. In the new Temple, however, the prophet Ezekiel (47:1-12) promises that a spring will gush forth and that water will flow through the dessert to the Dead Sea. As it flows away from its source the river will continue to swell. Thanks to it the dessert will flourish and the sea, which deserved to be called “Dead” will wriggle with countless fish. When they returned from exile, a temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem for the gathering of the faithful. However there was neither spring nor river. The true new Temple is Christ. Destroy the Temple, and in three days I will raise it up. But he was speaking of the temple of His Body (John 2:19)

When he is raised on the cross, “is exalted” as Saint John says, Jesus allows blood and water to flow from his side which was pierced by a spear. It is His love which is different. His Spirit which is poured out onto the earth, the sacraments which give life, the proclamation of the Gospel which announces the Heavenly Jerusalem with: “the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb,” (Revelation 22:1)

The spring which Mary showed to Bernadette is the symbol of the spring of living water which Christ brings forth. Here, in Lourdes, the water from the spring flows generously for all those who come to drink it or bathe in it. But it is also taken to the whole world as a sign of health and salvation. It is Mary who showed the spring to Bernadette. Mary is the first Evangelist. She went to meet Elizabeth. It is the Visitation. Everywhere in the world Mary is loved and venerated. She opens the way to the Gospel.

Water Walk #4, Lourdes

In the Holy Land, the Dead Sea is really a desolate place. The name is meaningful: “Dead” Sea. It is one of the lowest points on the earth. The weather is very hot and the water is dreadfully salty. Local memory recalls that Lot’s wife was changed into a statue of salt. The smell is unpleasant as in a chemical laboratory. And suddenly, on the side of the Dead Sea, thanks to a spring which comes from the mountain, there is a splendid green oasis. The flora and fauna proliferate. It is as if life is taking its revenge.

In the bible, En-Gaddi is synonymous with beauty, happiness and profusion. The women liked to adorn themselves with the flowers which grow there. The beloved of the Song of Songs, says that for her, her beloved is more valuable than the flowers of En-Gaddi.

Mary, the Immaculate Conception, is an oasis of purity in a humanity stained by sin. As for the bride of the Song of Songs, it is her Beloved which makes her beautiful and gives her joy: in Mary, everything already comes from Christ. Let us regain confidence as we drink the water from this fountain. The purity that Mary has never lost is ours to receive and acquire by the grace of God, as we journey towards innocence.

Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Joy, “Cause of our joy,” help us desire the grace of a beautiful, luminous and fruitful life. May there be no more Dead Seas in our lives, but a refreshing oasis, as in En-Gaddi.

Water Walk #3, Lourdes

We are still with Moses. But Moses is no longer on his own. With him, under his leadership, all his people came out of Egypt. The water is running short for both people and animals. Tomorrow, without water, it is certain death. Today it is fear. All turn against Moses: Why did he lead them out of Egypt if it is to die in an agony of thirst? Behind Moses, it is God Himself that the people blame: they suspect God is taking them on a path that leads to death. On God’s Order, Moses strikes the rock and the water gushes forth, the people drink and recover their taste for life. Centuries later, with a spear, a centurion will pierce the side of Jesus, our rock, the corner stone of our faith. The water of life will gush forth, the water he had promised to the woman of Samaria.

“Meribah” means dispute. The people sought to quarrel with God. God forgave them but the people must not forget:

“O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” (Psalm 95:7-9)

Mary, your faith had been tested. You were anguished when you sought your Son Jesus lost in the Temple of Jerusalem. You have been tested, but you did not doubt. You did not harden your heart. You cried over our sins, because they signify our death and because you love us as a mother loves her children.

Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Sorrows, “Refuge of sinners,” obtain for us the gift of tears. May we cry over our sins so that our tears may become gleams of light. “Happy are those who mourn, they will be consoled.”

Water Walk #2, Lourdes

It was in the beginning of the church, Stephen had just been stoned to death and Paul was not yet converted. A eunuch, a pagan who sympathized with the Jewish people, was on his way down from Jerusalem to Gaza. The Holy Spirit sent the deacon Philip to rejoin him on the road in the same way as Jesus had rejoined the pilgrims on the road to Emmaus. The man was reading the passage of the prophet Isaiah talking about the Suffering Servant, the Sacrificed Lamb. A conversation starts.

-Do you understand what you are reading?

-How can I understand unless someone guides me?

The Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water: and the eunuch said: ‘Look, here is some water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. The eunuch went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:26-39). Philip was a catechist to that man and his teaching led him to be baptized. Mary was Bernadette’s catechist, and she started by teaching her how to make the Sign of the Cross. She will instruct her up to her receiving Communion on 3^rd June 1858, a few weeks before the last apparition.

At the hour of the Passion, Jesus gives a guide and a teacher to his disciples: the guide is the Holy Spirit, the mother is Mary, His Mother. Both speak as one voice because Mary, who is full of grace, is totally attuned to the Holy Spirit.

Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, “Mother of Good Counsel,” Be our catechist, nobody knows Jesus Christ better than you do since you are His Mother and Our Mother. May the freshness of Baptism and the warmth of Confirmation be revived in us! Like Bernadette, make us love the Eucharist, the perfect gift of the One who became flesh in you.

Water Walk # 1, Lourdes

The clans of Abraham and Abimelech practically fought over the ownership of the local wells. Today, on a universal scale, nations run the risk of billing one another for access to drinking water. However, in Beersheba, a miracle occurred. The adversaries made peace. They swore an oath and the well of Beersheba is the symbol of their mutual reconciliation. The whole story of Abraham is the story of a covenant. In him, a pact was concluded between God and a family destined to become a multitude, as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the beach. A covenant with God, a covenant with humanity: both go hand in hand.

Mary, you carried in your flesh the Word Incarnate. In him, a covenant was concluded forever between God and man. In his own flesh, on the cross, He conquered hatred. Hatred killed His body; it did not succeed in killing His love for us and His father. His heart was pierced, but from His pierced heart flowed water and blood, which foretold the sacraments of life.

Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, Ark of the New Covenant, help us to become reconciled men and women, artisans of peace, sons and daughters of the new covenant.