Faith brings serenity and even joy into our trials, said Pope Leo after joining in the traditional Rosary and procession.
The evenings in Lourdes feel otherworldly, as hundreds and sometimes thousands of people from all over the globe join together to follow Our Lady, carrying candles, praying the Rosary in many languages, and uniting in Latin to sing: Ave, Ave, Maria!
This September 27, Pope Leo joined the procession, carrying a candle just like the ones carried by the faithful, taking the first place behind Mary.
His time in Lourdes has given him the chance to insist on human dignity and the importance of the sick and suffering. He blasted the false compassion at the heart of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
"Dear brothers and sisters who are sick, I want to tell you that you are not a burden. You are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church," he said at a residence for the many sick people who visit the shrine.
After the Rosary this evening, he spoke briefly of Mary's tender presence. She called herself the Immaculate Conception, humbling pointing to God's work in her, he noted.
The Holy Father spoke of his own presence in Lourdes as that of a pilgrim among pilgrims. He has joined in the many acts of faith that the ordinary pilgrims do -- touching the wall of the grotto, and drinking water from the miraculous spring.
Acknowledging the difficult trials suffered by the sick pilgrims who come to Lourdes, he quoted St. Paul to recall that the sufferings of this life cannot be compared to the glory of the life to come. Faith is a miracle, he said, that can bring both joy and serenity into our trials.
