Faith Today Supplement, The Message, Catholic Diocese of Evansville, December 18, 1987
Page 4 * Faith Today
"When it is difficult
to pray, the most im-
portant thing is not to
stop praying, not to give
up the effort. At these
times, turn to the Bible
and to the church's liturgy.
Meditate on the life and
teachings of Jesus as recorded
in the Gospels. Ponder the
wisdom and counsel of the
and the challenging
of the prophets. Try to
make your own the beautiful
prayers of the Psalms." (Pope
John Paul II addressing youth in
New Orleans, September 1987)
Dropping in on Sunday Mass for
the first time, a visitor from outer
ON
PILGRIMAGE
space might not grasp what is
happening very well.
He would see that the people
listen to words read aloud to
them. He would hear the people
bring numerous needs of theirs to
the attention of someone not
plainly, seen in the room. And he
would discover that when the
people speak, they often speak in
unison, tittering phrases prepared
for them in advance.
What our visitor from another
galaxy might conclude is that
these are passive hearers; that
with all their requests to God they
aren't very self-reliant; that they
possess a mass identity without
personality -- lacking a real spark.
As we said, this visitor hasn't
grasped the whole picture.
What he hasn't grasped is the
spirit of the liturgy. Because of
this spirit, the listening that takes
place here can be active. The peo-
ple listen as people do in an in-
timate relationship; a two-way
communication process occurs
that draws out the best in them.
What the visitor doesn't grasp
immediately is that the liturgy
does not intend to reduce the per-
sonality of these people to the
lowest common denominator. In-
stead, this communal activity can
heighten self-awareness and atten-
tiveneso to the true identity of
others.
Finally, it will take time for this
visitor to see that while people in
this assembly often pray out of a
recognition that they do not con-
trol the outcome of most events,
their petitions need not reduce
.them to passivity and inaction. In-
stead, their petitions can lead to
intensified action to resolve prob-
lems and meet needs --'but not
action isolated from God and the
rest of the Christian community.
The spirit of the liturgy fosters
awareness of God and trust in his
goodness. The liturgy creates an
atmosphere where honesty with
God and oneself leads to personal
growth; where the mandate to
recognize Christ in others stirs
people to action that spreads
God's love.
In the vision of the Second
Vatican Council, all prayer can be
linked to the liturgy and to its
spirit.
..o.o.o.o.o.e.o.o.o.o.o.o. CHILDREN'S PLACE.o.,.,.o...o.,.,.,*,.,',.,',',',','o',','.','.--
By,Janaan Manternach
NO News Service
er real name was Marie
Bernarde, but everyone
called her Bernadette
maybe because she was
so small.
Bernadette was sickly from the
time she was born in the village of
Lourdes, France, in 1844. She suf-
fered from asthma, making it hard
for her to breathe. Her illness and
her family's poverty kept her from
going to school.
But Bernadette had a strong
spirit. She needed it. By the time
Bernadette was 10 her father lost
his job and was unemployed. The
Soubirous family was forced out of
their simple home. The only place
they could afford to live was the
dark, windowless basement of a
crumbling old house.
Bernadette did what she could to
help her parents. One thing she
could do was collect firewood. On
Feb. 11, 1858, she and several girls
were searching for firewood along
the shore of the Gave River near
Lourdes. Suddenly Bernadette
noticed a beautiful girl in a white
dress standing in the cave above
Bernadette of Lourdes
the river. A rosary hung from the
girl's • arm.
Bernadette's girlfriends did not
believe her when she told them
about the girl in white. Ber-
nadette's mother told her to stop
making up stories.
But Bernadette saw the girl the
next day in the same spot. In fact
she saw her each day for two
weeks. But no one else did.
Her parents were puzzled.
Neighbors and relatives thought
Bernadette was mentally ill. Others
suspected her parents of putting
her up to this in order to make
some money.
One day the lovely girl, whom
Bernadette called "the lady," told
her to dig a hole in the ground
with her hands. The next day a
spring, began to flow from that
hole. /
Almost a mon later the lovely
lady asked Bernadette to tell her
pastor she wanted him to build a
chapel there: The skeptical pastor
told Bernadette to ask the lady her
name. The lady told her, "I am the
Immaculate Conception." Ber-
nadette did not know what the
words meant, but the pastor did.
He now believed the lady was
Mary, Jesus' mother.
All the publicity and pressure
was hard on Bernadette. She decid-
ed to join the Sisters of Charity.
For 13 years she was a nun. She
cared for sick sisters and took care
of the chapel. She Suffered from
asthma until she died in 1879. She
was 35 years old.
Today the church honors Ber-
nadette as a saint, celebrating her
feast each April 16. Millions of peo-
ple visit the cave and church at
Lourdes each year. The spring has
been a site of many healings:
Many Catholics have deep devo-
tion to Mary as Our Lady of
Lourdes. Her feast day is Feb. 11.
(Ms. Manternach is the author of
catechetical works, Scripture stories
and original stories for children.)
Crossword Puzzle
rail of the words can be found in this week's story.)
ACROSS:
1. Appeared in the cave
2. Marie Bernarde's nickname
3. Mny have taken
place at the spring.
Down:
I. Village in France
4 Breathing illness
5. _ River
Answers: eAo9 'g ou.'o 't7
m
m
Iil
F-1
I
u
II
IIII
SelnO'l ' I. 'N&CX] ff:Jll°e4 %' oepouJee 2; XPOl ' '5ODV
What do you think?
[] Look ahead to the new year which is about to begin. Now, in just
a few sentences -- three or four -- write your own prayer for 1988.
From the bookshelf
In Tallahassee Higgins, by Mary Downing "Hahn, Tallahassee is a
sixth grader who is sent to live with her Uncle Dan by her free-spirited
mother, Liz. Uncle Dan cares about.Tallahassee a lot but Aunt Thelma
finds It difficult to have a child In her home, especially LIz'sdaughter. 1
When the weeks stretch into months and her mother rarely even 1
writes, Tallahassee is forced to come to terms with some painful truths 1
about her mother. Gradually, helped by a friend named Jane and an
older woman In the neighborhood, as well as her uncle and her aunt, 1
who really does care for her, TaUahassee settles into life In Hyatts- 1
dale and enjoys the. contentment of belonging. (Clarion Books, 52 1
Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017. 1987. Hardback, $12.95.) i
