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.