All is quiet, but we continue to look to the heavens

We departed Lourdes this morning. The street still had pilgrims, still had the malades, still the stores, hotels and restaurants, but far quieter. It will be busy here again, but not today. It is somewhat fitting that a quiet should descend at the conclusion of any great pilgrimage. It is an acknowledgement, a moment of silence to the blessed souls who came here in humility to seek healing from Christ, through the intercession of His Blessed Mother. Our pilgrimage continues but does so at home where the healing waters of Lourdes flow each time we reach out to respond to a call of need or in any act to build a more just world. On Sunday, after mass, in the Grotto as we sung the Salve Regina, in the distance a host of red heart shaped balloons floated upward in the sky. It looked a lot like balloons, but also like a bunch of heart shaped prayers. You get to pick. God willing, I will be back next year.