What are the odds

 

There is a private library that would give away old books, probably to make room for new acquisitions. I’ve helped myself a couple of times to whatever I thought was interesting, including some classic books. Haven’t read all of them. Recent conversations with family about European pilgrimages and my desire to visit the Cathedral in Cologne, the Vatican, and Lourdes reminded me that I once obtained a  pocket-sized Schwann Travel Guide for the Lourdes Cathedral Tour, Paris, Reims Chartres published by Helicon Press, Inc. in 1958 from that private library I mentioned. Before posting this, I opened the first page and saw someone’s name—a Baines—maybe a surname or first name. I then randomly opened a page and interestingly saw a date. Other pages also had dates, potentially Baines’ intention to take note of when they visited those sections in Lourdes. Last night, I watched a brief Youtube video on Lourdes and St. Bernadette. What are the odds that the travel book I got a few years ago would make perfect sense to me now. And that I would be born years later on the same day that Baines visited the Cathedral? Just to make this more exciting, last weekend while waiting for takeout, I sporadically went to the bookstore nearby and on a whim grabbed a book by Daniel Silva entitled “The Order” which is set on a fictional Vatican post-St. John Paul II. Though within the context of Catholicism, the protagonist is an Israeli art restorer and intelligence operative. To piece things together…the travel book I got was from a private library housed in a Jewish facility. So, a Catholic travel book from a Jewish library and a novel set in Catholic Rome with a Jewish main character. Interesting, eh? I firmly believe that I should go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes—I would like to think that I am/ we are being invited by Our Lady. How about that? Ordinary folk like yours truly can dream, right? On the topic of Europe and the ongoing conflict...now, more than ever: Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.

P.S. Propaganda is prevalent and can appear in seemingly mundane posts online. Be wary of how you expose your subconscious. For me, an attack that is not provoked…picking a fight…a desire for power…I don’t know how that is ever justified. Nobody wins. I remember a Sun Tzu quote about how the greatest victory is one where there is no battle. Also, the attack isn’t just through blatant military activity but also through the bombardment of conflicting information.