Questions about Lourdes

[admonsta]

My husband was in a motorbike accident two years ago. He smashed his pelvis, and underwent 8 hours of surgery to reconstruct it. Since then he has gone from a very active, carefree man to a man in constant pain. His back is damaged from overcompensating for his sore leg, and he is developing arthritis in the affected hip joint.

I know some things about Lourdes, and I wonder if it is the right thing to do to send my husband there, in the hope of a cure for his pain. I guess my questions are as follows:

• Is it wrong to go on a pilgrimage primarily for healing?
• Are there other things I should be looking at first?
• If we spend lots of money to send him there and nothing happens, what then?

He’s not a Catholic, but is beginning to learn about the faith with the intention of eventually converting, maybe.

 

[Bookcat]

My husband was in a motorbike accident two years ago. He smashed his pelvis, and underwent 8 hours of surgery to reconstruct it. Since then he has gone from a very active, carefree man to a man in constant pain. His back is damaged from overcompensating for his sore leg, and he is developing arthritis in the affected hip joint.

I know some things about Lourdes, and I wonder if it is the right thing to do to send my husband there, in the hope of a cure for his pain. I guess my questions are as follows:

• Is it wrong to go on a pilgrimage primarily for healing?
• Are there other things I should be looking at first?
• If we spend lots of money to send him there and nothing happens, what then?

He’s not a Catholic, but is beginning to learn about the faith with the intention of eventually converting, maybe.

Pray about this question.

in Sacred Scripture…many people came to Jesus primarily for healing…

of course Lourdes point to more than that…but it is fine to seek healing…

Here is the website

lourdes-france.org/index.php?contexte=en&id=405

Lourdes is wonderful…and “worth” the Pilgrimage even if the healing one desires is not given…

(I would though consider your husbands understanding of the place of Our Lady in things…for going to a Marian Shrine can be overwhelming for a Protestant …if he does not understand it in context…he would need some good understanding first…)

 

[Marie5890]

First …Prayers for you and your husband…Catastrophic medical situations are always traumatic on more than just the physical level.

Go to Lourdes. Excersizing faith in Our Lord and Lady is always appropriate.

Will he be physically healed? Dont know. Maybe. Maybe there will be a lessening of the pain, or strength and courage given to deal with what is now on your plate.

God Bless.

 

[puzzleannie]

certainly it is okay to pray for healing, or to make a pilgrimage as a sign of humble submission to God’s will in this matter. I would take him, however, not send him, as the burden is one you share, so should be the prayer. God told us to pray for what we need. He will heal what needs to be healed, but he is the best judge of that.

In this country there are several Lourdes shrines, as well as other pilgrimage sites, such as Chimayo in NM.

 

[sinnegam]

I have been to Lourdes 5 times (as a helper) and I can assure you that it will not be a wasted journey, even for a non-Catholic.
Physical healing is extremely rare but the emotional and spiritual healing that takes place there is incredible. I have seen people with terminal illnesses leave Lourdes with a whole new attitude to God’s will…people with terrible physical and mental disorders…parents with very sick babies…all experience a healing which they least expect.
Lourdes has a unique atmosphere and Our Lady is everywhere…sitting at the grotto at 3am in the morning absorbing the silence and the feeling of peace is emotional and soul stirring.
Everyone there bonds together (language is no barrier) and it’s the only place I’ve ever experienced human beings in total harmony. Don’t let me spoil it for you, just go. Your husband will probably experience it at a different level but he will never forget that place and that’s a promise. God Bless you both

 

[admonsta]

Thanks for your answers everyone, they were very helpful. I don’t think it’s possible to go with my husband if he went, because the cost would be prohibitive, and we have five young children. I think it would be a huge sacrifice on my part to send him alone, and stay home to look after the kids - I’d love to be able to go, but perhaps I could offer my inability to go as a kind of penance.

Thanks to those who told me to pray. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the things we ought to know best.

 

[JRKH]

Thanks for your answers everyone, they were very helpful. I don’t think it’s possible to go with my husband if he went, because the cost would be prohibitive, and we have five young children. I think it would be a huge sacrifice on my part to send him alone, and stay home to look after the kids - I’d love to be able to go, but perhaps I could offer my inability to go as a kind of penance.

Thanks to those who told me to pray. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the things we ought to know best.

I certainly think that if you send him and stay home, it only demonstrates further your faith and willingness to sacrifice for his welfare.

I can relate a bit to your situation since I am facing losing my Dear Wife to Alzheimer’s Disease probably in the next couple of years. I have prayed for healing, read books on healing prayer, prayed over her meds, blessed her with holy water etc. All to no “physical” avail. She is still deteriorating.
However the things I have learned. The peace that I have been given, and been able to pass on to her, is incredible.
If we reach out in Truth and in a willingness to accept what God wills for us we will receive an answer, maybe not the answer we hoped, but most likely a better one.

May God be near you and your husband on this Journey.

Peace
James