You can’t get away from the fact that the Grotto, late at night, is a very special place. There, if anywhere, it seems possible to pray. Now one of the things about a pilgrimage is that without prayer it simply isn’t a pilgrimage. And, I believe, it isn’t possible to live an adult human existence without prayer. So one of the things that we should be asking for in Lourdes next week is "Lord, teach us to pray." And how do we pray? It doesn’t very much matter, provided that the effect is to put God more and more at the centre of our lives. So, obviously, we should be praying for things, and praying for particular people. Each of us comes to Lourdes with a million people to pray for, all of whom we promptly forget, and have to trust that the Lord has them in his hands. Each of us also comes with our own intention, a particular thing that we are praying for, perhaps for ourselves, perhaps for another person. In addition to all this, however, there is a reason why God is bringing us to Lourdes; we do not know what it is, but we need to dispose ourselves to find out; and that means prayerfully expressing sorrow for what blocks God out of our lives, gratitude for what God has done, and, above all and always, a gasp of wonder and adoration as we contemplate who God is.
Scripture readings
Mark 1: 29-45
And immediately he left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered together about the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
And in the morning, a great while before the day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him pursued him, and they found him and said to him "Everyone is searching for you." And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out." And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people." But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
Luke 11: 1-4
He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.’"