Our Lady of Lourdes
February 11th is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. It commemorates the date in 1858 when our Blessed Mother made the first of 18 appearances to a poor little French girl, Bernadette Soubiroux. In each of these apparitions, Mary, as described by Bernadette, was "more beautiful than ever…she wore a white dress, an equally white veil, a blue belt, and a yellow rose on each foot."[1]During one of her appearances, Our Lady told Bernadette to drink from a spring within the grotto where she was kneeling. Where no water had previously flowed, a spring bubbled forth after Bernadette scratched away the dirt. To this day, water still flows. Over the years, thousands of sick and infirm have sought healing from the waters of the grotto at Massabielle, Lourdes. Many who have visited the site have received medically certified cures. Of those, 67[2] have been declared miraculous healings. The last declared miracle occurred in 1987. Even today, Our Blessed Mother brings those in need of God’s healing love closer to Him and her Son.
In 1992, Pope John Paul II designated February 11th as "World Day of the Sick." Like Bernadette, who struggled her whole life with the effects of chronic asthma, Pope John Paul II knew about pain. He endured great personal suffering following the 1981 attempt on his life, the effects of which dogged him the remainder of his years. Both Bernadette and Pope John Paul II were denied the physical relief that many sufferers have received from the healing waters of Lourdes; yet both Bernadette and Pope John Paul II understood the "perfect expression of redemption"[3] that is accomplished through suffering. As our Blessed Mother told Bernadette, "I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other."[4]
For those who suffer and do not find relief from their physical or mental pain, Pope John Paul II offered this comfort: "May the Blessed Virgin enable you to sense her presence and give comfort to your hearts! (As Jesus said,) 'When I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also' (Jn 14: 3)….Mary is the pledge of the fulfillment of Christ's promise…a sign of sure hope and consolation….(She) confirms this by her whole life, for she is a living witness of the victory of Christ, our Passover."[5]
For those of us who do not suffer or who care for the suffering, Mary offers us a perfect example of love. By her actions, she challenges us to help other who are in need and to bring comfort to those in pain. As Pope John Paul II stated,
"'In those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country…' (Lk 1:39). The words of the Gospel story have once more brought before the eyes of our hearts the young maiden of Nazareth as she makes her way to...her kinswoman Elizabeth…, in order to be of help to her. What strikes us about Mary is, above all, her loving concern for her elderly relative. Hers is a practical love, one that is not limited to words of understanding but is deeply and personally involved in giving help. The Blessed Virgin does not merely give her cousin something of herself; she gives her whole self, asking nothing in return. Mary understood perfectly that the gift she received from God is more than a privilege; it is a duty, which obliges her to serve others with the selflessness proper to love."[6]
[1] Lourdes-france.org (official site of the sanctuary Our Lady of Lourdes)—http://www.lourdes-france.org/
[2] Currently another event is under review and may soon be declared a miraculous cure. See http://www.lourdes-france.org/
[3] Homily delivered at the Grotto of Massabielle, Lourdes, France by Pope John Paul II on August 15, 2004.
[4] Lourdes-france.org (official site of the sanctuary Our Lady of Lourdes)—http://www.lourdes-france.org/
[5] Homily delivered at the Grotto of Massabielle, Lourdes, France by Pope John Paul II on August 15, 2004.
[6] ibid.
posted by Cheri Lomonte at 5:46 PM
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