Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes
Final Mass
Homily of Bishop Paul Dempsey
I heard a story a while ago, a true story of a young man who was successful in life. He was married and had a child. One day while at work his wife phoned and asked if he could collect their son, Harry, from school. She normally collected Harry, but for some reason this day she could not. Harry was eight. His dad was delighted to get this opportunity and so he left work early and went to the school and waited at the gate. The bell sounded and soon Harry came running out and met his dad with a big hug, delighted to see him. Since they had time, they went down to the nearby park together. There they played some games on the swings and roundabouts. Following the park they then went for something to eat, and Harry enjoyed his favourite piazza. Following this it was time for home. Harry had his bath and afterwards put on his favourite Batman pjs. Then his dad tucked him into bed and read his favourite bedtime story. As Harry was about to fall asleep and just as his dad was leaving the room, Harry looked up at him and said, “Dad, this has been the best day of my life, ever!” His dad thought to himself of the few simple things they did together, nothing unusual, then it dawned on him, they had simply spent time together. This was the point Harry was making, the small things count, the small things matter.
Life is so busy nowadays for so many people, we are rushing and running here and there. There’s a certain pressure in society, a narrative that says you must do this! The reality for many is that they are working long hard hours, at jobs that they hate, in order to buy things they don’t need, so as to impress people they don’t like! We can fall into the trap of, ‘I’ll be happy when… I have the bigger house, or car, or when I retire.’ In all of this life runs away on us and we miss the present moment, we miss the precious gift that life actually is.
Perhaps that is what Lourdes is all about, it reminds us that the small things count, the small things matter. St Bernadette would have been considered one of the ‘small ones’ in her community, somewhat insignificant, yet she was the one Our Lady chose to appear to. The same could be said of Fatima, Our Lady appears to three small kids, again considered insignificant in their society. Archbishop Dermot reminded us in his recent Pastoral Letter outlining our next steps on the Building Hope journey in the Diocese that ‘smallness was never an issue for Jesus.’ Jesus uses the image the mustard seed, it’s tiny and yet he sees the potential that’s there! It was the same with the beginning of the Church, it started small and went from there.
Yes, the small things matter! As Christians we believe that God is the creator of the Universe. We live in one galaxy, the ‘Milky Way’ with one hundred or perhaps two hundred billion stars! We are only one galaxy in approximately one hundred billion galaxies. When one thinks of the enormity, the beauty, the complexity of it all. There are some who say it was all an accident. As people of faith, we believe all of this came about as a result of the thought of a loving and creative God, who willed that it would happen. God willed that you would happen. Despite the greatness, despite the complexity, what does God do? He surprises us by becoming a helpless little infant on a bed of straw! As the Gospel reminded us today, ‘Emmanuel, God with us!’ Later, in the midst of this Christian community gathered today that same God becomes fully, truly and really present in a small piece of bread on this altar. Patrick Kavanagh captured this so profoundly when he said, ‘In a crumb of bread, there the whole mystery is.’ Surely, in all of this, God is clearly telling us the small things matter! It’s not just about the powerful, the wealthy, the famous, no, everyone matters, everyone is unique, everyone is loved.
These past few days in Lourdes I have seen this in action. We’ve experienced beautiful sacred prayerful moments together. We have experienced the beauty of those reaching out in small ways to help fellow pilgrims, whether it was in the hospital, or the push in a wheelchair. Maybe it was in the candle lit for someone, or the prayer said. Or perhaps it was the kind word or a smile when somebody really needed it. Maybe it was the small cup of water given by our young people during our liturgies. These small things matter, these small things make a big difference in people’s lives.
There is a narrative out there that says those involved in Church are hypocrites and every wrong that was ever carried out, the Church tends to be blamed for it. We are well aware of the sad and shameful chapters in the life of our Church and of our sorrow for them. They are part of our story and always will be. All I can say is, yes, this is not a perfect Church, so if you are looking for a perfect church, you will have to go elsewhere. You won’t find perfect parishioners, you won’t find perfect priests, and you certainly won’t find perfect bishops! We are a Church of sinners, not of saints. However, there is a lot of good done in the Church too and I have experienced that in a profound way these few days in Lourdes. I have also seen and experienced it in the lived reality of day-to-day life in our parishes. I have witnessed the goodness, the kindness, the generosity of priests, people, deacons, and religious. This is not published in the big headlines. This goodness, this kindness, this generosity inspires me and that’s why I remain a Christian, that’s why I remain a Catholic, that’s why I remain a priest!
Yes, the small things matter. If we were to take this seriously it is a message that would transform, not only our personal lives, but our society, and indeed, our world. It is a message that reminds us that the small child in Gaza matters, the small community in Ukraine matters, the small family who has come to Dublin from their war-torn homeland, matters! This week reminds us of the far deeper mystery we are all part of and our responsibility in it. So, let’s bring this message home. Take more time with each other, take more time with loved ones, take more time with Jesus, ‘Emmanuel, God with us.’ Take time to savour the small things!
