Our recent Duke Catholic Center mission trip to Cancun was both a service trip and a pilgrimage to holy ground. The first thing we did was visit the shrine of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. This particular title of Mary, the Mother of God, has come into vogue under the papacy of Pope Francis. While he was studying for his doctorate in Germany, he was able to visit the original chapel in Regensburg and afterward took the devotion back to Argentina. Upon becoming Pope, his devotion to this image of the Blessed Virgin spread throughout the world like wildfire.
A New Shrine
In 2015, a priest working in Cancun began building the shrine that we were able to visit. It is a gorgeous place. The tradition is to write your intentions on a white ribbon and tie it close to the image of the Blessed Virgin as an almost tangible prayer. There is also a chapel full of fulfilled prayer requests, represented by colorful ribbons. The entire shrine breathes an atmosphere of prayer and is a wonderful place to visit to pray.
We were able to gather in one of the small chapels for mass. Upon entering, a sign invites the pilgrims to remove their shoes, as they are stepping on holy ground. This called to my mind today’s liturgy and the encounter Moses had with the Lord.
Moses in the Desert
This theophany (manifestation of God) in the burning bush was one of the most powerful scenes in the Bible. At this point, Moses had already gone through a lot. Rescued from certain death as a baby, he grew up in Pharaoh’s court. Discovering his Hebrew heritage, he recoiled at the mistreatment he saw his people suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. He fled to the desert after a deadly encounter with one of the Egyptian taskmasters. It is there that he received the mission that would define his life. And it all began with the mystery of the burning bush.
Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground (Ex. 3:5).
Miraculous Encounter
For Moses, this was a miraculous encounter, made clear by the bush that burned without being consumed. It led to the great missions of his life: leading the Israelites out of Egypt, receiving the Law and establishing the covenant between God and his chosen people. Visiting the shrine in Mexico made me think about how we all have times when we enter into a sacred space and need to take advantage of the moment. This should make us think: where are the places that we need to remove our sandals and stand before the Lord in complete authenticity?
Sunday Mass
First, we could look at our weekly Sunday Mass. It is so easy to come and go without being truly aware of the depth of the mystery that we celebrate. Practically speaking, though, what can you do to become aware of the miracle of the Eucharist that we celebrate together at mass? I am not suggesting that you physically remove your shoes. But the rites at the beginning of mass should be a spiritual removal of our sandals. We have the initial greeting and the penitential rite. The language is different from our ordinary speech. Instead of “Hi, how are you?” we hear “The Lord be with you” and respond “and with your spirit.” We enter into the mysterious realm of the liturgy to prepare ourselves for the wonderful mystery of the Eucharistic celebration.
Personal Prayer
Second, we can take this spirit into our personal prayer. Perhaps we call out to God when we have a difficult choice up ahead, but how often do we simply ask him what he wants of us? We must make sure that we are coming to him with a spirit of humility. Taking off our sandals in this case could be as simple as offering our lives totally to him. “God, I know that you have a plan for my life. What is it?”
Service to Others
I think there are lots of places in our lives where we can find holy ground. I know that each time I speak with someone in confession or spiritual direction, I feel like I am treading holy ground, and I know I must be careful to respect the movement of the Holy Spirit in this person’s life. Pope Francis reflects how the heart of each young person is an example of holy ground.
Each young person’s heart should thus be considered “holy ground”, a bearer of seeds of divine life, before which we must “take off our shoes” in order to draw near and enter more deeply into the Mystery (Pope Francis, Christus Vivit, 67).
We all experience holy ground in our lives, whether through personal prayer, living out our faith life, or in service to others. We need to become more aware of the holy ground that is there so that we can open ourselves up to a deeper encounter with the Lord. Take advantage of this Lent to spend time with Christ and ask him what he wants from you.
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