On Saturday 31st May, the Church celebrates the feast of the Visitation: Mary comes to meet her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant. In his mother’s womb, John the Baptist rejoices at the presence of the Messiah. It was during this visit that Mary uttered the Magnificat prayer, which sprang from her exultation: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.’
Lourdes, a place of encounters
The biblical account of the visitation is a significant moment in the lives of two women, Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, that teaches us the importance of encounters. The first ‘encounter’ between Jesus and John the Baptist, who recognises his Saviour from his mother’s womb, makes him leap for joy, reminding us of the encounters we have in Lourdes.
In Lourdes, heaven touched earth when Mary, mother of Jesus, met Bernadette Soubirous. Like Saint John the Baptist, pilgrims leap for joy when they meet the Lord through Mary and through our sick brothers and sisters who come to Lourdes in such numbers.
A typical ‘Pilgrim for a Day’ programme
Morning:
* Official film of the Sanctuary at the Information Centre
* Walk the Jubilee Way on your own or with a guide at 9.30am.
* Mass (see timetable at the Information Centre)
Afternoon:
2.00 pm: In the footsteps of Bernadette
3.00 pm: Rosary at the Grotto (in English)
5.00 pm: Eucharistic procession and blessing of the sick.
9.00 pm: Marian Torchlight Procession
Lourdes honours the Virgin Mary
During the month of May, Lourdes honours the Virgin Mary by the offering of a white flower to Our Lady. Throughout the month of May, volunteers from the Sanctuary place white flowers at the feet of the crowned Virgin on your behalf. These flowers complete the bouquet created by the prayers of all the pilgrims who pray the various rosaries recited every day at the Grotto.
Saturday 31st May, the feast of the Visitation, will be the last day on which pilgrims will be able to offer a white flower to Our Lady of Lourdes.
MAGNIFICAT
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.
Amen.
