Take Up Your Cross: Choose Life

~~~Our Lady of Lourdes~~~

~~~ Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 9:22-25 ~~~

...deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Jesus gives us the prescription for his followers.

It is something we must do each day.

It is not something we do a single time.

It is not something we put away in the drawer for later.

Every day we must 'take up our cross'.

Some days our crosses may be greater than other days.

What is importance is that we pick them up and take them with us.

We join more completely with Jesus 

when we can joyfully take up our crosses.

Our crosses can also be a reminder to choose life.

Moses said to the people:

“Today I have set before you

life and prosperity, death and doom.

If we do not choose life we will not have

 the strength to carry our crosses.

Choosing life means we choose Jesus...

when we choose Jesus we also choose to pick our personal cross.

Jesus shows us how to do this...

carrying ones cross is not easy but may bring 

special graces into our heart.

In the wisdom of the church today as we begin Lent

we also commemorate the 

Blessed Mother's appearance at Lourdes.

Today we reflect on the healing water at Lourdes.

Mary appeared here...she continues to bless 

the waters of Lourdes with healing powers.

Those who are sick are very aware of the cross they bear...

they are very aware of the admonition to choose life.

Perhaps the life we must choose is eternal life in heaven.

Much of the time we can only see life as here on Earth,

but our eternal life is much more important.

Our physical life is only a blip on the radar of eternity.

Choosing life is parallel to picking up our cross.

Some people find a better life when they are carrying their cross.

The Blessed Mother knows about our crosses.

She is nearby to intercede on your behalf.

She will help you carry your cross;

while she was not allowed to help her son, Jesus to carry his.

We may not be able to visit the healing water of Lourdes,

but we can pray for those who are in need of healing.

Our Lady of Lourdes,

pray for us.

Choose life...

cling to the Lord;

you will be blessed.

~~~Peace~~~

Precious Water

~~~ Our Lady of Lourdes ~~~

~~~ Genesis 2:4B-9, 15-17 ~~~ Psalm 104 ~~~ Mark 7:14-23 ~~~

Water is one of the themes connecting all 

of the readings together today.

When the Mary made her appearance at Lourdes 

healing waters sprung forth from the earth.

In the creation account of today... 

 ...a stream was welling up out of the earth

and was watering all the surface of the ground—

God brought water up from the ground 

without first causing it to rain.

For God the rain came after his 

bring up the water from no apparent source.

Bernadette was instructed by the Blessed Mother

 to begin digging in front of the grotto.

She was further told to drink from the spring

 of water that would appear.

Bernadette says at first it was muddy and then it became clear.

As word spread then and continues today 

miraculous cures are associated with

 these waters at Lourdes.

The waters created by God in the beginning 

are still a part of the great cycle of water he set into motion.

New water is not being created every day or each year by God.

In his infinite wisdom he created 

water on earth to last for all of eternity.

Water is precious.

Water refreshes and gives us life.

Water is for drinking, healing, and cleansing.

Be mindful each time you come into contact 

with water just how necessary it is to our very existence.

We thank you God for the gift of watering our earth.

Blessing abound from the waters of Lourdes.

Our Lady of Lourdes,

pray for us.

~~~Peace~~~

We Lift Up Our Hearts

~~~ Our Lady of Lourdes ~~~

~~~1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30 ~~~ Psalm 84 ~~~ Mark 7:1-13 ~~~

Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, 

O LORD, my God...

All those who travel great distances to Lourdes are petitioning 

God to look kindly on them.

Many times they are pouring out their heart 

with prayers of petition.

Petitioning for their own healing, but

also on behalf of those loved ones 

who could not be present there.

The waters of Lourdes remind us of the healing power of God.

The waters flow, covering the body, totally immersing you in pure love.

May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”

This is a beautiful prayer from our reading today from the book of Kings.

As I read the first line I began to think not of the stone temple structure,

but rather of ourselves as being the temple of the Holy Spirit.

We are often asked to pray for another person.

This prayer often originates from within our heart.

The heart is the center of our human temple.

The heart is where we express our honor and praise for God.

It is from the heart that we pray for others...

where we petition on their behalf.

I invite you to take a moment now and remember

 those you have promised to pray for...

hold them tenderly in your heart.

Ask God to allow you to love them with his compassionate heart.

We believe with all of our heart that God does indeed hear

and more importantly we believe that he does listen to our petitions.

God is in heaven but he never ceases to care for us.

God Blesses us 

with his watchful eyes day and night.

God Blesses us with his listening heart from age to age.

Peace.

Healing Waters

Our Lady of Lourdes

~~~ Genesis 1:1-19 ~~~ Psalm 104 ~~~ Mark 6:53-56 ~~~

The God who created heaven and earth.

The God who said, "Let there be light"....

The God who brought forth all manner of life in the universe...

The God who placed the sun and the moon in the skies...

this is the God who also created you.

This is the God who walked the earth in the person of Jesus

healing and blessing others.

This is the God who sen his Son to be born of a woman.

This is the God who came down to live among us.

This is the God in whom we place our trust.

This is the God in whom we profess to be our Lord.

It is this same God whom people long ago flocked to for healing.

This same God is here for you today.

Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.

Touching the tassel from his cloak was sufficient to heal.

Or was that the only contributing factor to one's healing?  

Perhaps there was something invisible occurring within each person who was healed...

they had faith...they believed something so slight as touching a few threads

from his clothing had his power to heal.

They came...they touched...they believed.

So often a healing will happen in an unanticipated fashion.

A part of you will be healed; if not physically,

then in mind, spirit, or soul.

Whatever the healing it will come through love and compassion.

God created you and wants you to be whole,

united with him...united with his will for you.

God has seen fit to imbue the waters at Lourdes with his healing power.

Just as at the wedding at Cana the Blessed Mother intercedes on our behalf.

If God is truly God, which we know him to be,

then changing water into wine...allowing his healing to pour forth as water,

pales in comparison to his creation of water itself.

He can do all things.

Ask for the healing you desire,

knowing that God will give you the healing you need more.

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

O ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comfort of the afflicted,

you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings; deign to cast upon me a look of mercy.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary,

whence you dispense your favors, and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities,

both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence,

to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests.

 I will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share your glory,

and bless you in eternity. Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord let his face shine upon you and keep you safe

in mind, body, spirit, and soul.

You are loved more than you can understand.