FEAST OF NOTRE DAME DU REFUGE

Notre Dame du Refuge, Mother of Hope... 

On Sunday 7 July, the Servants of Mary invited all those who wished to take part in the feast of Our Lady of Refuge to share a time of fraternity and prayer to our Mother Mary, and a time of sharing and getting together over a snack served in the gardens. 

During the celebration in the chapel, Father Laurent Bacho shared with us this homily full of hope:

« Stella Maris, Star of the Sea! For over a thousand years, the Church has hailed Mary as the star of the sea, the star of hope, prefigured by Ben Sirac, "Ave Marie Stella".

In this hymn, human life is compared to a sea voyage, with happy days and darker ones. And on this voyage, the Virgin Mary is the beacon of light and hope, so that we can complete the journey happily. This is what Father Cestac wanted when he created this place, Notre Dame du Refuge, a safe place that was and is a place of hope for these young girls from Bayonne, often victims of military or civilian abusers, who were considered objects of pleasure and reduced to prostitution. Notre Dame du Refuge was this star of the sea, which became a land of hope that would enable them to regain their dignity as women and thus become creatures once again, images of God, able to look forward to a future with hope.

Notre Dame du Refuge, Mother of Hope, continues today to be a place of hope for those who have been wounded by life, who have not had the benefit of a peaceful family environment or a safe place to live, or who are physically or mentally handicapped, for migrants and the elderly.

Mary had been the star of hope for the young couple of Cana, who had not imagined that so many people would come to their wedding. In Cana, as in the world of that time, there were no invitation cards; the whole region gathered to celebrate the young couple. "But there was not enough wine". What a disgrace for this young couple, who were singled out and ridiculed throughout the region. Mary, full of compassion, could not envisage such an unfortunate fate for these young people. Her duty was to intervene; the only solution was to tell her Son about this disappointment. She spoke to her Son and, despite his enigmatic reply, she asked the servants to intervene: "Do whatever he tells you". With Mary, hope is profusion and unhoped-for quality; it is a wine without equal. Bravo to the young couple!

Yes, Mary is still, today, a refuge where those who are disappointed by life, in despair over a serious illness or a painful bereavement, can find comfort, consolation and strength to rediscover the desire to get on with life, without letting themselves be overwhelmed by all the shortcomings that we may experience in this journey through life. Refuge and source of hope, these are the qualities of the Virgin Mary that she has given to our world since her Son gave her this mission from the height of the cross: "Woman, behold your Son". This is the mission that we allow Mary to carry out through this beautiful prayer: 

"Under the shelter of your mercy, we take refuge, holy Mother of God.

Do not despise our prayers when we are in trial;

but always deliver us from all dangers,

Glorious Virgin, Blessed Virgin."

Prayer is not enough. Just as Mary engaged the servants at Cana, she engages all of us to become messengers of hope, you in the first place, Servants of Mary, but also all of us in various capacities, committed to continuing Father Cestac's work in all the places of life that are within the precincts of Notre Dame du Refuge: collaborators, partners, volunteers, employees, "Do, let's do everything he tells us" so that all those who are lacking may find hope and a taste for life. Father Cestac notes that after Buglose, so fundamental in his life, he returned here to his ordinary work, but, he says, in a new life of happiness and hope. And he paid particular attention to perceiving the many signs that were given to him to "strengthen his hope", he says.

Who among us doesn't need to strengthen our hope? 

I certainly do!

In our worrying socio-political environment, we need this Mother of Hope. For the past 2 months, we've heard nothing but speeches about purchasing power, taxes to be raised or lowered... admittedly, these are necessary concerns, but Mary is showing us the end of our journey, as indicated by the top of the altarpiece in the choir: Mary enters the glory of the Holy Trinity. Mary, whom Father Cestac defines as "always looking after us like the best of mothers". She does not dismiss our material needs, she knows them, but she puts them into perspective with the horizon of the Kingdom of Life.

In our ecclesial context, so shaken, we need this Mother of Hope. In our personal lives, where we experience so many limitations and weaknesses, so many challenges, we need this Mother of hope.

In the coming Holy Year of 2025, Pope Francis is calling on all Christians to become pilgrims of hope. There is no shortage of prophets of doom; pessimists find fertile ground in this world. There is no shortage of nostalgic people, who find an ideal breeding ground in our lack of vocations. 

Our Christian ideal obliges us to overcome this lack of confidence in the future that is characteristic of our western world. We Christians who believe in the action of the Holy Spirit in our world must not allow ourselves to be drowned in this pessimistic atmosphere.

The Virgin Mary asks us to know how to contemplate God's action in silence and discretion. The Virgin Mary invites us to benevolence and indulgence. The Virgin Mary urges us to become bold witnesses of hope.

With Pope Francis, let us keep hope alive. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope (The Joy of the Gospel, no. 86).

Our Lady of Refuge is indeed the Mother of Hope who can help people to grow in confidence and hope, as she did for Father Cestac. »

Father Laurent Bacho