This year I was privileged to participate in the pilgrimage to Lourdes organised by the Maltese Association of the MASMOM between 28 April and 2 May. The Maltese contingent, 165 in all, took part in the international pilgrimage organised every year by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to our Lady’s Sanctuary of Lourdes and was led by H.E. Comm. Dr Jaime H. Cremona, president of the Maltese association. The Grandmaster of the Knights of Malta H.M.E.H. Fra Andrew Bertie was present in Lourdes together with the Sovereign Council.

This was not my first visit to Lourdes, but going with the Maltese association of the SMOM was for me a completely different experience, an unforgettable meeting, sealed by the grandeur of the crowd bearing the eight-pointed cross.

There were so many of them but they were all united together by their loyalty and service to the Order and their Lords, the Sick. The eight-pointed cross was seen everywhere, attached on the different parts of the uniforms the members were wearing. How proud I felt to be Maltese in that big gathering. Everyone, without knowing was paying homage to Malta, (PARVA MOLE VIRTUTE MAGNA) its history and especially the vigour of the Knights Of Malta.

Lourdes is a haven of prayer, of meditation, of contemplation, of confrontation with death and life. One feels great while he is kneeling down, recognising his weakness which makes him dear to the Madonna of Lourdes.

The continuous need of reciting the Holy Rosary especially in the Grotto, gives you peace in your heart and courage to face your life with a different optic. In fact, the time for the Rosary recited at the Grotto at the late hours of the day was the best moment, when one felt a blessing coming into the heart from the overlooking statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The drinking of the water at the Grotto gives you a sense of liberation, of purification and it especially cleans away your faults confessing your guilt. The Eucharistic celebrations in various languages, the Marian procession aux flambeaux, the anointing of the sick, the Way of the Cross, the immersion in the baths were lived by all of us with great devotion and concentration, absorbed in the word of God and the delightful singing.

Life is a wonderful gift from God! Regretfully we sometimes take it too much for granted. When one sees so many sick being driven by the barrellieri in the blue carozzellas in Lourdes, the only word one can utter to the Lord is “thank you”. It is very impressive to meet so many sick, but at the same time their faith, their peace and their smile encourages you to struggle on with your failures and begin a new life. For most of the sick, their visit to Lourdes might be the first and the last, but I am sure that everyone of them is signed by fire of love of Our Lady. The atmosphere of spiritual peace and vigorous hope one can experience in Lourdes, is unique. I am sure it is a promise of a better life, helping us to rediscover the importance of the sacred in our life.

I think however that the most impressive aspect of this holy experience is the presence of young volunteers in Lourdes, dedicated to the sick, helping in the organisation and caring for those in need. How happy you feel when you share their altruism and service, a valid contradiction to the contaminating egoism we face in every day’s life. The dedication to the work they do, is all conviction and faith, a witness to so many young people who spoil their life in substitutes, escapisms and emptiness. It is true that the more we do for others, the more we understand and can appreciate the words of Christ: we are useless servants.

Congratulations MASMOM, and well done!

Charles Cini sdb

Sliema