Of This Room

I've felt drawn to the Chapel of Our Lady of Good Help lately, which is just 7 miles from our house. This chapel sits on the site where the Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Adele Brise in 1859, instructing her to "gather the children in this wild country, and teach them what they should know for salvation."

This Marian apparition was recently granted formal approval by the Church and is the only site in the U.S. with this approval. Approval by the Church means that after study and formal investigation, the apparitions "do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and are worthy of belief by the Christian faithful." Whether you believe in Marian apparitions or not, the Chapel is still a very holy and peaceful place.

I sat in the dim light of the apparition site today just praying and listening. The room is filled with flickering votive candles, each representing the prayers of one person's heart. In order to light a votive of your own, you take the flame of one candle already lit and then light yours. It struck me as really beautiful, and illustrative of the Church as a whole, this borrowing of hope and light from one soul to another.

As I meditated on that thought, the phrase "of this room" kept coming to me. When you descend the stairs to the crypt, your senses are magnified - the smell of candle wax, the flickering light, the soft darkness that almost envelopes you. You become a part of this room. The room itself is not what's important, but the joining of yourself to something greater is the goal. I was challenged to try to bring the atmosphere and the peace of that room with me when I leave.

Many people confuse The Rosary and devotion to Mary as idolatry, and think that we pray to her. A prayer to Mary or one of the saints is really a request that they remember you in their prayers. Their lives are incredibly inspiring, and they are wonderful examples of how to live a Christian life. I feel a particular devotion to Mary as a mother, and pray often that her Son might show me how to be a better mother to my own sons.

I think our proximity to The Shrine is no coincidence, and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to spend time there. Prayer is powerful.

"You are here to make the world a better place because you lived."