When the world prays together

Have you ever attended a multi-lingual, multi-racial prayer service? This is when you believe that the world does pray together in a universal language called faith. Here’s my story on faith.

There is something about Lourdes that one cannot explain. It calls you and only when the Lady knows you are ready can you proceed. As believed by many devotees, a promise to come back to Lourdes after your wishes are granted should never ever be dismissed. 

My last visit to Lourdes, France must have been over 20 years ago. I had wished for a resolution to a health issue and prayed so hard. And it resolved. Call it a miracle or a coincidence, I choose to believe the former. 

Last April, my friends and I planned a side trip to Lourdes before our Camino trek in Spain. But the original airline we chose suddenly had an issue and we changed airlines three days before departure – something I am not used to. 

Our Lourdes trip was then cancelled and a rerouting had to be done to still meet our group date for the Camino. It was such a disappointment but we always believe there is a reason for these delays, what we now call or have read about as Burnt Toast theory. The theory says that sometimes when we burn our toast and things are not going as planned, these circumstances actually save us from what would have been an accident, a misfortune or mishap if we had proceeded with original plans. So when it was cancelled last April, I charged it to “burnt toast.”

This October we again put Lourdes at the top of our plans before our intended visit to Provence. Companions got sick and would not be able to make the quick connections between Paris and Lourdes. As I bought the tickets during Mercury retrograde (another inexplicable theory), everything as in everything had to change. Hotel bookings, airlines, train connections – all out the window. Another “burnt toast” situation? I just let it flow and did not stress about the changes. 

Finally, we took a multi-transfer train ride from Avignon, taking almost six hours each way. But this is how She wanted it. And we would not have it any other way. A sacrifice is not a walk in the park but an understanding of circumstances and just letting it