So before leaving the states, everything kept coming back to love. The desire to increase my love for God and others kept coming up again and again. Loving everyone (literally everyone) as God calls us to, is not a strength of mine and it is something I have been working on for a while and will probably get to work on my entire life (without Gods grace). I am not sure what it was about my visit with the Franciscan sisters before I left but everything kept returning to love. So this has been an increase area of my focus and prayer time.
So that is the state of mind, when I came oversees. Then in Lyon, I really begin thinking about my heart and how I want a pure heart. Well fast forward to Ars and I see Saint Jean Marie Vianney and I come to know his heart. A simple, pure heart only filled with the love of God which made him love man. I had some heart to hearts with God where I let him know my desire for a pure heart. Then, God responded and continues. Every mass and every office reading had something to do with a clean heart, a pure heart, and each time it deepened my desire.
Switching gears for a moment- So in the dinning hall of the convent, I am quick to make friends with people, even if we do not speak the same language but as reference before, it seems like we can somehow manage... International telephone game. So one morning at breakfast, I meet a woman and as we talk, she tells me she is from Paray le Monial. This town means nothing to me and so she then says, you know Saint Margaret Mary and the Sacred Heart image. I guess I really never had thought about where the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus had come from but during that conversation my heart stirred a little. So we depart ways and I go to morning lauds with the Sacred Heart sisters (just wait they will tie back in to the story). During lauds, a verse hits me and I know at lunch I have to speak to that woman again, because I think my trip is about to take a detour.
At lunch we talk again and she offers me a ride to go that afternoon but I have already made a commitment with Sister Therese that I will spend the afternoon with some of her friends (the town locals). Sister Therese is the sister that after the international telephone game thinks something good of me and always smiles and pats me on the back.
The woman was returning to her home that evening and was leaving out of town the following day, so by the time I would arrive in Paray, I would miss her but I knew God was keeping me for a reason. So the afternoon with St. Therese friends we go for a lovely walk in the Ars countryside (minus the gunfire from hunters in the field we are walking beside). During the walk, Chantal is very excited and talks about Divine Mercy, the Scared Heart, Mary, and many other topics. She ties everything together without me even having to ask. She tells the story of St. Margaret Mary and Jesus giving her the image of the Sacred Heart. That the French King did not do as he was asked and the country had many ills. The grandson, repented of their family not doing as Jesus had asked as he awaited his executions in the dungeons during the French Revolution. Finally the country did as was requested and the sacred heart of Jesus was venerated. In honor of the sacred heart they built the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris (if you recall that is where I started off last year with my pilgrimage). The same sisters that are there at the Sacré-Coeur Basilica are part of the same order of sisters that I met in Ars and did the divine office with. Then it all ties in with Saint Faustine and the image of Divine Mercy.
So I leave Ars to Paray and it is a fairly small town and I make my way to the Basilica, then the st. jean adoration chapel, and then to the chapel where the visitation occurred. After afternoon prayers, I notice a sisters begins to set-up the side altar where St. Margaret Mary is at. A priest is going to say private mass but she tells me that I can join. Things that are awesome because I was not able to attend mass in Ars before catching the bus and I got to Paray too late, so this worked out perfect. God is good!
Photo- side note : So every photo where the mosaic tile of the scared heart comes out with a bright light. When just looking at the tile, you see each tile but with the photo it just shines light. Use the iPad, so there was no flash.
So after some more prayer time, it is time to find a place to spend the night. I try to ask another sister in the shop if the convent allows pilgrims to sleep there. The woman I had met from the town had said that as a female they might let me stay there because from time to time they do retreats for women, even though it is a cloister. Anyways, her French and my French sends me to a halfway house. The people at the door seem very confused by a backpacker at their door, and I try my best to explain that the sister had sent me, well once they realize I came from the convent they agree. As I get settled in and read some rules (or at least the parts I can understand) I begin realizing it is not a house for pilgrims. But oh well, by this point I am heading off for adoration and vespers. It is when I return for dinner at my house that I come to understand it is a halfway house. But it is one of the most enjoyable experiences I have ever had and I absolutely love my roommate Silvia! We converse back and forth between french, english, and charades and it is really some awesome faith talks. she tells me, she is glad that God brought me here for her but I think I am getting the better deal. We went through a french divine mercy and then i did it in english for her.
Silvia went to pray at 6am, so when I get up and get dress to leave, I see she has left a saint Claude La Colombriere card on my things for me. God keeps leading because as I head off to go to the Chapel of the Visitation to pray,I go a different path and come upon the church built to host the remains of this Saint. Once again, God is good. A quiet church where I can pray my morning prayers before heading off to the chapel to do them in French with the sisters. I try and do the prayers and mass in French but I want to know what is said so either before or after I always read them in English.
Anyways, I have to say, I am loving how God is working and weaving and I am very happy with the trip detour. Everything I have is really Gods and the only thing that I truly own because He allows it, is my will which includes how I use my heart. So the only thing I can truly give God is that. It seems so simple and yet we can make that so difficult. From the morning lauds with the Sacred Heart sisters in Ars:
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with you I have one will,
To live and to endure.
Amen, Amen my friends! Next detour is to Nevers. I might eventually get to Italy. But alas, I do not think that it matters so much the where. More important the who and the why.
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