The Bathes are separated on two sides for male and female, so I can only give the account from my perspective. Out of respect for the people there, I did not take any photographs, only have my memories to let you know of my experience.
Most of the ladies in the queue were elderly Italian women, what I loved most about them were their faith. They did not sit idly chatting, one of the lady started to lead the rosary in Italian. I follow along in English, until I realised in fact Chinese fit the Italian wordings better so I switched over. The wait did not seem all that long afterwards, with prayer and songs the hour just flew by.
During this time, volunteers came to report for duty. I think one group of them must be high school students who are volunteering for the summer break, they were polite, humble and showed respect to others. Whoever that says young people these days are all self centered, send them to Lourdes!
There is a deeper meaning to the symbolism of the Lourdes waters.
It is the sign of the love of Christ who gives his life for sinners.
It is a sign of baptism that has given us life as the children of God.
It is also a sign of the Sacrament of Pennance, in which God offers us forgiveness, purification and reconciliation.
The deep meaning of the water of Lourdes is inscribed into the walls of the tap and bath area - "Wash your face and ask God to Purify your heart".
The water was very cold, I was only dipped into the bath for a very short time and memory is already fleeting. I remember myself saying a prayer similar to the inscription, to ask God to help purify my heart. Stepping into the freezing water, I already thought perhaps its not the best idea after all, but I saw the statue of Mary there and was again reminded of St Bernadette. She was much more obedient than me.
I'm really glad I went, because not only is it a symbol of God's grace to purify me, it was also a call to step out of my comfort zone in my path towards Jesus. His path is not always easy, but he promises to walk with us through it all.
Here is another photo of the volunteers in the afternoon taking the sick to different areas of the sanctuary in Lourdes. Please give them some prayers for this great mission they are doing.
I met back up with the boys afterwards, we decided to go make lunch by buying a baguette, tomato and some hams. A cheap and affordable lunch!
We had to go back to the train station to sort out our tickets for the next day, so unfortunately we missed a guided tour of Lourdes and the life of St Bernadette.
In the end we first went to again wash our face, drink of the water at the water tap together.
Then we took a walk along the Upper Way of the Cross. Take a look at this sign just before you enter into the walk.
The path is up a mountain, a small hike that takes you from the time of Jesus' trial to his death.
All the stations were life size, as I walked along, I can imagine myself as one of the women who follows Jesus to the cross. The whole experience was very humbling and moving. I ask myself, who am I that Jesus was willing to bear the cross for me?
That night we had a quiet night in after dinner. We got some hot water and made some Chinese tea, then sat in the reception to chat and to use the wifi internet. The hotel owner joined us later for a cuppa Chinese tea too. He was a really nice guy, we found out that he is a French Canadian who only works at the hotel for three months each year. The other times the hotel is mainly closed, a lot of the business depended on visiting pilgrims.
Being the last night in France, some things I noticed that I really want to commend is first the impeccable manners of the hospitality industry, silver service is the most perfected out of all the places I have visited so far. Secondly is the training of their dogs, I think France is the only place where I have found everyday dogs on the streets trained to be fully paying attention to their masters!
A dog can go onto the busy metro without a leash and there is absolutely no fuss! Terrific! If only I can train BoBo or Edison to be like the French dogs!
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The volunteers are so amazing, they show what is "Love to your neighbors as to oneself". I shall pray for them in the mass tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteJust by looking at the photos of "Jesus's trial to his death for the sinners", I already feel really touching in my heart. If I were there, I think I won't be able to control my tears.
The memories that you come across in Lourdes is not just the place itself, is the atmospheric feeling which will be kept deep in your heart forever. I envy you.