At Lourdes, Divine Providence takes two different attitudes towards human suffering. The first is more sensational and thus catches our attention more. It is when Our Lady, as a compassionate mother, heals the sick and lame and thus proves the veracity of the Faith.
This, in turn, shows her mercy for wayward souls, by giving them a strong motive to convert.
The innumerable pilgrims who are not cured exemplify the other attitude, and beg the questions: “Why would Our Lady cure one and not others?” and “Isn’t this in contradiction to the first attitude?”
The answers to these questions demonstrate suffering’s raison d’être and role within the perfection of the Divine plans. Thus, we can learn much more by this second attitude than by the first.
To reach a conclusion, we first must recognize that Our Lady demonstrates her goodness at Lourdes. She shows that she can and wants to work miracles for her children. Nevertheless, the vast majority of pilgrims return uncured.
For the rest of the article by Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, please go here:
http://www.tfp.org/TFPForum/reflections_of_pco/lourdes_lesson_in_suffering.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment