One of the first recollections I have of a Catholic motion picture was the 1943 classic "The Song of Bernadette." Though it was made five years before I was born – it certainly reflected the state of the Church at the time; and the impact of the appearance of our Blessed Mother at Lourdes to Bernadette Soubrious on the hearts of the faithful everywhere. This movie was an important supplement to the Catholic education I was receiving during those early years of my life. My reaction was that all of this was absolutely believable – and indeed a matter of faith! The line at the end of the movie is a spiritual classic: For those without faith no explanation is possible (for the occurrences at Lourdes); for those with faith, no explanation is necessary!
This is exactly how we each this day are invited to live our lives – right here and now – with faith, with hope, with absolute trust in God. In this way: the things of faith and the Church need no explanation; and the things of the world are much more transparent and able to be seen for what they are – sometimes helpful, sometimes specious. For those in the world, however, there will always then be a chasm that only faith can cross! No explanation is possible in a lot of areas even of common sense, and natural ethics. But this does not mean that those of faith: the faith of the Church: cannot illumine the way for those in the world by word and by example.
Bernadette did not give up proclaiming and doing what Mary asked her to do! For if it was Mary's will, then it was also God's will – she would not want anything else or less for us. So we must not give up! Jesus turned water into wine at the request of his mother; he can also do many amazing things at her request for us also! We then need to listen to him and to her!
I received a note yesterday from someone who recently heard that Mary has requested us to do something: "Fall in love with eternity!" The overflowing river of peace of the first reading today – that God wants to saturate all of us with – lies in eternity – it is part of the great eternal reward for a life on earth well lived! May we achieve that peace, by falling in love with eternity – and keeping its reality in the front of our consciousness – so that it can be our hope as we await the time of its arrival – especially in the darkness of the days that seem to surround us at this particular time!
Mary said to the servants: Do whatever he tells you! May we do today, Mary, whatever Jesus tells us – and strengthened by the food of the Eucharist may we be able to make a difference in the world in which we find ourselves!
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