Light

I went to the rosary at the grotto at 3.30. This is broadcast each day on TV and the Internet:

The priest gave a homily afterwards talking about faith and prayer. He said that Bernadette's life was a window into faith. He talked about the parable of the woman who kept confronting the unjust judge (Luke 18).

But, as he said, not many people are cured and in fact Bernadette suffered from asthma all her life and she and her parents led very quiet and simple lives after the apparitions. He said that we are not destroyed by disabilities and suffering, there is always the light and joy we are made for.

Of course this is very difficult for people to accept these days, especially in affluent societies where most people have very easy lives. It is hard to believe in a paradise beyond our difficulties. It's a bit like the character Pinkie in Grahame Greene's novel Brighton Rock. He said he could believe in hell but not heaven. A challenge.