This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant
I am on the train going to Brussels, which is 150 km. (93 miles) from our house in Resteigne. The purpose of this trip is to attend the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of a group called “Poverello.” It is part of our work in Madonna House Belgium to connect with other communities and groups in the Church.
Somebody near me is reading the newspaper. News about the heat wave in Europe, about the Tour de France now that the Soccer World Cup is over, about an airline strike, about forest fires, etc., etc. All these news pass through my heart, and I lift them up to God in prayer.
Close to me are three teenage boys having fun with their I-phones. Some other people are checking their messages.
We just stopped at Ciney, a town in which there is perpetual adoration. So I unite myself with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and I send him a prayer of praise and worship.
I look at my watch, and I unite myself with the people at our house in Resteigne. It is 9 a.m. They probably just finished breakfast and now they will pray the rosary. I ask Our Lady to bless each of the staff of our house and all those who knock at the doors of our house and hearts.
I look out the window, and I see that the weather is changing. We have been praying for rain. This has been a very hot, dry summer with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) for the past several days. Clouds are accumulating in the sky, and it looks as if God will send us some rain.
The farmers are worried about their crops, and some of them are already using hay to feed their animals.
It has been a good year for fruit though. We have lots of berries that we processed to make jams and juices. Moreover, the many apple trees in our yard are looking like they will be producing a bumper crop. We are already collecting some of them and making apple butter, apple pies, and apple sauce. We are also planning to make apple juice in a few weeks.
Now we have entered the station at Namur, and lots of people are boarding the train. They look sad … and suddenly I feel tired, as if all this sadness is burdening me. So again I lift up to God all who are on this train and all the burdens they carry.
The train is running again, and we just passed behind a big hospital. I unite all the pain suffered in this hospital to the passion of Jesus—to his steps when he carried the cross, to his bruises, to his wounds, and finally to his resurrection.
We are approaching Brussels, the capital of Europe. As I write this last sentence, a woman in a burka passes in the corridor of the train. Migration, conflicts between the European countries about the way to manage the waves of migrants, the babble of languages. May the Holy Spirit bring to us the joy and unity of a new Pentecost.
There is so much to pray for.
