Sermon Cloud

This weekend, there is great celebration at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes here in Sudbury.  In case you may not have heard the news, or read about it in the papers, the festivities are in honor of the centenary of the Grotto, which was constructed in 1907 as a place of prayer and pilgrimage for people of all faiths, right in the heart of the city.

An entire weekend of activities including conferences, recitations of the rosary, Mass, song and private prayer have been organized this weekend and people have come from many parts of the country to mark the occasion.  Preparations for this weekend have been taking shape for more than two years and finally the day is here. 

The goings and comings of visitors to the Grotto are a visible reminder that we all need to come repeatedly to the Lord at various times in our lives.  Sometimes we come to rest, sometimes we come to be fed, sometimes we come to admit our faults and failings, sometimes we come with thankful hearts.  Regardless of the reasons we come, the Lord himself always welcomes us and provides us with a listening ear, a moment of respite, and food for our journey.

The prophet Isaiah speaks of the interchange between God and his people in today's first reading.  Like the meetings of loved ones who must be separated from time to time, but who always manage to keep connected, God's people have always come to him in time of need, presenting their offerings in clean vessels (Is 66:20) and departing with the assurance of his blessing and his guidance.

Whether we pray at the Grotto, or in a church, or in our own rooms, the meeting of human hearts with the merciful heart of God is always a moment of offering, of purification and of loving embrace.  There is always a part of us that thirsts for God's forgiveness because the vessels of our own offerings are not always as pure as they can be.  At times we need to take a moment to be honest with ourselves, to admit that we are weak and need to be healed, and to trust in the love of God.

Adults who are used to the many liberties which are ours in today's Canadian society may not want to admit that we can still make mistakes and that we need to be corrected from time to time.  As the reading from the letter to the Hebrews says today, 'discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields peaceful fruit' (Heb 12:11).

Christ never promised that life would be easy, but he did promise that he would lead us to the joy of the kingdom.  He has shown us the way, but it is up to us to walk the way, to knock at the door and to try our best to enter by the narrow door (Lk 13:24).  In order to do this we need to keep the lines of communication open, inviting the Lord to show us the things about ourselves that stop us from doing His will, or that detract us from focusing on the kingdom, and we need to be courageous enough to let go of our own egotistical tendencies, and follow Him in trust, so that when our pilgrimage on earth is complete and we arrive at the door of the Kingdom, we will not find it closed (Lk 13:25), but open and welcoming.

Meanwhile, we come to the table, trusting in God's promise of forgiveness, feasting at His banquet and praying for his guidance as we continue to celebrate his love in our lives and to share it with those we encounter.