Day 11 - Avignon, La Salette, and Lyon

We started off our day driving from Nimes to Avignon, a little town where the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) is located.  That was our first stop of the day.  Avignon became the home of the Popes fleeing the violent chaos of Rome in 1309.  From Avignon we drove through the winding mountains to La Selette, located in the French Alps near Grenoble.  In La Selette, Our Lady appeared to two young children on Saturday, September 19, 1846.  Maximin Giraud, 11 years old and Melanie Calvat, 14 years old, were attracted to a brilliant light in a ravine.  Our Lady spoke to both of them and then to each separately.  The messages that Mary asked these two young children to share with us included:  do not take the name of the Lord, our God, in vain and keep holy the Sabbath.  We celebrated Mass in one of the lower chapels in the Basilica Notre Dame la Salette.  Father John's sermon centered on on faith. If we want courage of faith, we need to act like we have it.  Ask ourself, "What would a man or woman of faith do in this situation?"  If we do this often enough, our faith takes over when we have trials and tribulations.  Father asked us to see our cross for what it is--an invitation to join Christ.  To pick up the cross and follow Jesus.  He asked us to reflect on what are two or three crosses that I carry at the moment--what can I do to embrace them, accept them, and carry them with courage and dignity?  In doing that, we are walking with Jesus and walking with faith.  The drive up to La Selette and back down was breathtaking.  The French Alps are beautiful and help us to see all of God's wonder all around us.  Around the ground of La Salette, we could trace the path of Our Lady's apparition to Maximin and Melanie and reflect on the crosses that we carry.  We left La Selette and drove to Lyon, where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and fellowship with our group, knowing that our time together is quickly drawing to a close.

Day 10 - Lourdes to Nimes

Today we bid a fond adieu to Lourdes--a town that we have come to know and love over the last three days.  Lourdes is a place where we have truly felt the love and comfort of Notre Dame.  We basked in the love and comfort Our Mother provided us and feel a bit sad as we leave this holy place.  We celebrated early Mass in the Chapel of St. Anne where the gospel reading was from John and included the following:  For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  After Mass, we quickly visited the Rosary Chapel in the Basilica and then departed on our way.  After some pretty skillful driving by our driver, Fernando, through the tight turns leaving Lourdes, we began our journey east.  We stopped several times along the way to stretch our legs, have a quick bite to eat and see a mid-evil castle near Carcassonne.  Along the route we marvel at how good the roads are here in France and we always take time to ask Jesus to continue to bless our journey and in thanksgiving for sharing His Mother with us and for all the blessings he bestows on us.  We have seen some amazing sights and have have shared much comraderie with our fellow pilgrims.  We are united in faith and in our devotion to Jesus and His Mother, Mary.  Once here in Nimes, several of the group toured the Roman ruins here in the city, including a 2000-year old Roman circus that is now used for bullfights. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and prepared ourselves for another long driving day tomorrow.

Day 9 - Lourdes

Today was a free day to explore Lourdes on our own.  We started the day off at an international Mass for all the English speaking countries.  There was a very large pilgrimage group from Ireland that was led by their Bishop, who was the celebrant of the Mass joined by about 20 other priests, including our own Father John Carney.  The choir that led us in song was also from Ireland.  The Bishop shared two very important quotes from the Bible.  The first was Mary's instructions to the servers at the wedding in Cana, "Do whatever He tells you" and the second is during the Transfiguration when God the Father speaks to the Peter, John, and James and tells them, "This is my Son, my Beloved, listen to Him."  These two are perhaps the two best pieces of advice in the Bible, from those who knew and loved Jesus the most.  And if we follow those two pieces of advice, how can we go wrong?

After Mass, several of the group visited a small village where St. Bernadette spen some of her time growing up.  It was high up on a mountain where Bernadette's aunt and uncle raised sheep.  Many of our group also had the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconcilation, wash in the holy waters, and others watched Jean Delannoy's movie, Bernadette, at a vintage movie theater here Lourdes.  Finally many of the group braved the rainy weather to attend the candlelight procession.  Each of us, in our own way and in our hearts, took the time to reflect on the messages from the Bishop and to "listen to Him" and "do whatever He tells you."  God Bless You!