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November 19, 2023: Trip to France
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Our recent trip to France was an exciting time as well as a time of learning of the ageless beauty of our Catholic faith. It’s always joyful to travel with a group of pilgrims in search of deepening their faith in Christ Jesus, especially through the undying and very living presence of those in the Communion of Saints. Simply being in the same area where Saints have walked and prayed, where they have loved their neighbor and, in some cases, been martyred by a violent, sick world. We had such opportunities during this past trip to stand and reflect in such places, and more. And what a blessing it is.
To visit the site of the convent where St. Theresa of the Child Jesus lived the last years of her young life as a Sister among her peers was a highlight. Although she was treated by a few of them so cruelly, she never lost her center; to live for Christ while still cherishing the Sisters she was with each day through common prayer and labor. And then to have been so blessed to offer the Holy Liturgy to our group in the lower chapel in close proximity of where her convent still stands was another highlight of our tour. When we recall the life of St. Therese, the first virtue we think of is the virtue of love. It was love that got her to heaven, for without love, we cannot please God. Nor can we be with God in the end. As mentioned, when a few who surrounded St. Theresa treated her so badly, when she was tested in the authenticity of her faith, hope, and love, she never wavered, standing fast in her love for the Lord. If anything, it made her love Jesus even more, as well as love the Sisters who lacked the Christian charity to treat one of their own as a Sister in Christ. If anyone wishes to truly know how to love our neighbor, the life of St. Theresa of Lisieux is one of the first Saints in the Communion to gain knowledge of. There was no crazy politics involved with her; no wish to have other Sisters punished for their mistreatment of her; no getting even and seeking them to be removed because she didn’t like what they said and did. Her love was simple and pure, with no complications. When this great Saint stood before God at the hour of her death, she had no explaining to do regarding the virtue of charity. This is a Saint whose presence can be fully embraced and imitated.
Another Saint a few of us were blessed to visit while in Paris was St. Vincent de Paul in a small chapel on a side street not far from our hotel. The chapel of St. Vincent de Paul was not part of our scheduled tour, but some of us pilgrims felt the need to show up unannounced to check out the holy site. Again, it was an area of Paris where this great Saint did his charitable work for the Lord. His life was centered in Matthew 25; that what he did for the least of the Lord’s people, he did it for Jesus. St. Vincent de Paul is one of the Saints in the Communion who most Catholics can relate to so closely. We’ve all fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, and cared for the sick. I believe most every Catholic I know has accomplished such marvelous deeds in the name of Jesus Christ. Is there any better experience of joy and love when we share with the poor and needy a portion of our hearts, knowing we make a positive, loving difference in their lives? And knowing that when we do so, we have done the marvelous deed for Jesus himself. To see the face of Christ in the other, and not be choosy about who we think has the face of Christ and who we forget does, is better than a 1000 World Series victories by our beloved Boston Red Sox. St. Vincent de Paul cared for all who came to him, be it for medical care or that of life’s basic goods, and did so on a scale that few in the Church have matched over the centuries.
A short 3-minute walk from the chapel of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris is found the chapel of St. Catherine Labouré, who “collaborated” with Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Yes, St. Catherine had a beautiful, faith-filled discussion with Blessed Mary in person. How many of us can say the same? Our Lady’s apparition to St. Catherine was one that eventually produced, as stated above, devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. In this chapel in Paris is believed to be the chair in which Our Lady sat while St. Catherine, at the young age of 24, knelt next to Mary as they discussed matters of the faith. I’m positive they did not discuss what type of pizza they wanted for dinner. It is also reported that St. Catherine rested her head on the lap of the Mother of God. How would you like to sit in that chair today and take in a portion of Blessed Mary’s spirit? Do you think it would be an experience of profound peace? Well, it’s not possible to relax in that chair for obvious wear and tear reasons that would accumulate over the years, although one can see the chair in which Mary sat resting in the chapel. One of the Godly marvels of St. Catherine is that of her incorrupt body lying in a glass case in the chapel. I noticed her hands were in a pose of prayer, like she was sleeping and praying at the same time. The truth is that she does pray for those who seek her intercession with Jesus, while her soul enjoys an everlasting state of eternal bliss. She simply awaits the resurrection of her incorrupt body.
One other Saint who was not on the scheduled tour, but in close proximity to one of our hotels, was St. Martin of Tours. Our pilgrim group “resided” in the city of Tours for two evenings. A few of us decided that St. Martin was worth a visit, as is any Saint in the Communion. His basilica and burial site were a short mile from the hotel, so we decided to take an early morning uber to visit and check out the scene of this “military” Saint. St. Martin was a military man, a soldier, born of pagan parents, later baptized into the Catholic Church. St. Martin would eventually be named the Bishop of Tours in northern France where his holiness preceded him. There’s a story in the Office of Readings for the Church that describes the last moments of St. Martin’s life. While his brothers in the monastery bewailed and bemoaned the upcoming death of Martin, not knowing what they would do without his presence, the devil made an appearance at one side of the room where St. Martin lay dying. Martin of Tours must have remembered his military days in that moment, telling the devil in no uncertain terms he was not going to get his soul in the afterlife. Martin didn’t tell the devil to drop and give him 100 pushups, but he did tell the pitchfork man to get lost. We all should do the same. Within the enclosure of St. Martin’s tomb appears to be, we believe, his heart in a glass case. It reminded me of how us Catholics do some funny things with the bodies of the Saints. But this is part of our tradition, and one that allows us to draw closer to Jesus through the great holiness of Saints like Martin who devoted their lives to Christ.
Our pilgrim group also visited the site of Mont St. Michel (St. Micheal), a monastery celebrating its 1000th year since the first brick was laid. Riding to Mont St. Michel on our bus, from 4-5 miles away, a pilgrim was given the appearance we were approaching the largest monastery in the history of the world. The entire structure, which included a small village with shops and restaurants and the monastery on top, was built on a rather large rock overlooking the English Channel. After the beauty of celebrating Mass in a chapel halfway to the monastery, we were asked by our tour guide if we would like to “climb to the top.” Meaning, as far as the monks would let us go. Either way, it was a hike. Between the up and down climb, it was approximately 1000 steps. I’m proud to say that one of our elder pilgrims and parishioner of St. Anne’s, Paul Bleau, made the climb up without asking for a piggyback. He made it to the top. The scene on top was worth the climb, overlooking the English Channel in the direction of Great Britain. I believe I saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace from up there. It was a place and site to be remembered by all of us.
Maybe the most memorable experience, aside of the pilgrim sites we were blessed to visit, was that of Omaha Beach in Normandy. Most Americans understand the significance of this solemn place. Having visited Gettysburg numerous times over the past number of years, I suspected that visiting Omaha Beach, with Utah Beach in sight, would be a similar experience as that of the small town in south-central Pennsylvania. And in some respects, it was. Standing on hallowed ground made hallowed by the bravery of American soldiers by the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, it was an experience of sadness and pride. Most of the soldiers who made the charge of Operation Overlord beginning on June 6, 1944, were late teenagers or twenty-something. The obvious sadness was the loss of their young life, lost to protect our freedom that still gets attacked from many quarters. It brings to light the saying that ‘Freedom is not free.” The pride we can offer to the soldiers of Normandy, and many other places where freedom was defended, is an American pride. One that sees God’s gift of freedom as the most fundamental, basic principle freely given to the human person by our Creator. Unfortunately, time and time again our freedom is in need of defense. The soldiers of Omaha Beach and countless other sites are the brave ones who gave it all so that others may enjoy our most natural condition; freedom.
There’s much more that could be written, like that of Jesus’ life in the Gospels, but we’ll keep it within the above boundaries. All in all, a good trip was had by all. And we give thanks to God for our safe travel throughout.