The House where the Word was made Flesh

(The marble encasement of the Holy House of Loreto, inside the Basilica)

This summer, we had the privilege of visiting the Holy House of Loreto, which we celebrate today: December 10th. The house at Nazareth, where the Annunciation took place and the Word was made Flesh, was miraculously moved to Loreto, Italy, on the Adriatic Sea. A church was built around the little house, and a marble rectangular chapel was built over the actual four walls to protect them. Because of this "flight" of the house, Our Lady of Loreto is the patron saint of aviation, especially flight attendants and pilots.

On December 10, 1294, the house was transported across the Adriatic to Italy. It was seen arriving in a glowing light by shepherds -- how appropriate!

I was jetlagged and exhausted on the day we visited, but I knelt in the little house (pilgrims are forbidden to take pictures in there) and prayed and struggled to absorb where I was. I felt as if I couldn't get my brain around it!

St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier and the other first Jesuits visited here together. St. Francis Xavier came back here when he was about to set out for the missions in Asia. When he was offering Mass in the Holy House, with the miraculous image of Our Lady facing him, Our Lady breathed into his heart wondrous zeal and courage for the missions. St. Charles Borromeo came here often to pray.

St. Francis de Sales, before he was a priest, went on FOOT from Rome to Loreto – the journey we made by air-conditioned motorcoach. He frequently kissed the walls that had been sanctified by the presence of the Holy Family. He went to Confession and Communion here and received great consolation and graces. Later, he visited again when he was appointed bishop.

Pope Pius II, and Cardinal Barbo before he became Pope Paul II were both cured by Our Lady of Loreto. By 1733, a list of 60 saints who had visited the House of Loreto was published. Pope Benedict XV tried to protect the House of Loreto during World War I, calling it “the gem of the earth.”

St. Alphonsus made a pilgrimage here in 1772. He spent 3 days here before his episcopal consecration, filled with consolation and joy.

A friend visited the Holy Land this year and brought us a rosary from Nazareth! She saw the cave where the house stood...from what I've read, the cave made up the back part, or continuation of the house. But in Loreto, we got to see the place where the Incarnation took place.

"The mystery of the Incarnation...is so exalted and so profound that we understand next to nothing about it. All that we do know and understand is very beautiful indeed, but we believe that what we do not comprehend is even more so. Finally, someday in Heaven above, we will grasp it fully. There we will celebrate with an incomparable delight this great feast of Christmas, of the Incarnation. There we will see clearly all that took place in this mystery. We will eternally bless Him who, from His exalted state, lowered Himself in order to exalt us. May God grant us this grace!"

~ St. Francis de Sales, "The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Advent and Christmas"