Just returned from the great Shrine to our Lady in Fátima

My great preoccupation during this pilgrimage were my poor feet, that carried me some 80 km with a group of other pilgrims. My first walking pilgrimage, I admit, and an unforgettable experience. And there is nothing like seeing the tower of the basílica of OL of the Rosary peeking from among the trees towards the end of the journey.

Today, the Church remembers the great Doctor of the Church, S. Bernard of Clairvaux, known among other things for his great devotion to the Holy Virgin. Tomorrow, we remember another great Marian devotee, the saintly Pope Pius X of the early twentieth century. Marian devotion is a cornerstone of being a Catholic, according to the age-old tradition that we share with the various separated Churches of the Orthodox communions. Looking for God? Having trouble with prayer? Look no further than the Holy Virgin; you’ll find her message at Fátima here.

And, oh yes, the skies really are as clear and blue as all that. It’s hard to believe, returning to cloudy England.

Grab on tight, Peter

“And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.”

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“Thou art clothed with honour and majesty,
who coverest thyself with light as with a garment,
who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent,
who hast laid the beams of thy chambers on the waters,
who makest the clouds thy chariot,
who ridest on the wings of the wind,
who makest the winds thy messengers,
fire and flame thy ministers.”

[Psalm 103 (104)]