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After 150 years,
Lourdes France, still holds a special place in the
hearts and minds of millions around the world.
Dubbed a "place of miracles," Lourdes is where the
Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times beginning
February 11, 1858. Our Lady's message of Lourdes
took root and flourished against staggering odds,
and continues to yield tremendous graces in the
lives of countless people today.
He has Chosen the Lowly
The first obstacle to the apparitions at Lourdes
could well have been the story’s protagonist:
Bernadette Soubirous, a poor and sickly and
uneducated fourteen-year-old girl. But
Bernadette’s purity of heart enabled her to
receive unconditionally what was revealed to her.
Her steadfast faith made her determined to remain
true to the special mission entrusted to her,
despite the ridicule and cruelty of unbelievers
and hostile reactions from police and clergy. As
word of the apparitions spread, crowds began to
mob the small Lourdes grotto. Though few words
were spoken, the messages were rich in meaning.
Bernadette accepted without hesitation the
beautiful lady’s invitation to come to the grotto
for fifteen days, although she knew neither the
name of her mysterious new friend nor the purpose
of these visits. She was told she would not find
happiness in this world, but in the “other” – a
prophetic reference to the difficult but rewarding
path to sanctity that lie ahead. In time, the
apparitions took on a somber tone as the lady
lamented over the sins of God’s people. Witnesses
saw the great sorrow in Bernadette’s face as she
gazed up at the niche in the grotto where the lady
appeared. “Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God
for the conversion of sinners,” the lady pleaded.
And Bernadette firmly resolved to make this her
life’s mission.
At the lady’s instruction, Bernadette crawled
about on the filthy grotto floor and kissed it in
penance for sinners. She ate wild cress growing on
the cave walls and scratched at the dirt until she
found some muddy water with which to wash her face
and drink. This muddy water would bubble forth
into a clear mountain spring that brought
immediate and astounding cures to many, attracting
attention throughout France and beyond.
A Time of Revolution
When the lady in the grotto expressed her desire
for a chapel and for people to come in procession,
Bernadette delivered the message to her parish
priest. His reception was less than friendly.
France was being torn by revolutions in politics,
industry, and secularism, and the Church that once
held a place of honor and respect was desperately
trying to regain its footing in a rapidly changing
and dangerous environment. Most of the clergy were
opposed to what they deemed a superstitious claim
of the supernatural, and Bernadette’s parish
priest was no exception. It was not until the lady
said to Bernadette, “I am the Immaculate
Conception,” that the priest believed her. After
all, how could an illiterate peasant who barely
understood her catechism know such an advanced
term, when the Church had only professed the dogma
of the Immaculate Conception four years earlier?
It took another four years of intense
investigation for the bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes
to approve the apparitions as worthy of belief.
The grotto and its miraculous spring were then
made available to the public.
Church approval, however, did not keep the events
at Lourdes from being attacked in the press.
Columnists mocked the apparitions and their
followers, particularly the vast numbers of
pilgrims with illness and disabilities who looked
upon Lourdes as their last vestige of hope.
The journey for the pilgrims was often long and
arduous, and many died before ever setting eyes on
the place of miracles. Others perished on the trip
home. Medical professionals tried to close the
sanctuary on the grounds of unsanitary conditions.
Yet despite the protests from the secular and
medical world, belief in the apparitions could not
be squelched. The grotto there offered people a
truth about life—and death—that the world could
not.
A Living Sanctuary
What is it about Bernadette’s story that annually
beckons upwards of six million people from around
the world? As Lourdes Bishop Jacques Perrier is
quick to point out, Lourdes is not a historical
museum, commemorating something that happened 150
years ago. It is a living sanctuary that proclaims
the Gospel message of prayer, penance, love, and
service to one another. It is a powerful witness
to hope and healing for those who suffer
physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
And while miraculous cures have been documented as
a result of prayer to the Virgin or contact with
the water, a far deeper healing of mind and heart
is the true miracle of Lourdes. This is manifested
daily in the peaceful acceptance of one’s illness
or disability, the realization of the fullness of
the love of the Lord, and the resolve to embrace
life with renewed strength.
Lourdes is first and foremost a place of prayer.
Bernadette set this example by praying the rosary
with the lady at the start of each visit. To a
world focused on achieving happiness through
power, prestige, and other empty promises, Lourdes
delivers a strikingly different message. It rises
above the temptation to wallow in negativity and
despair by offering hope—hope for miracles;
healings; a new life or even a peaceful death.
Lourdes teaches by example that God always
prevails despite impossible odds. Visitors are
challenged to surrender their stubborn wills and
make the changes needed to live holier lives.
Lourdes also calls us to turn our gaze outward, to
pray for the sins of others, and to demonstrate
love for one another through acts of service and
charity.
Lastly, we may consider the appearance of the
Immaculate Virgin in a less-than-immaculate grotto
to a child of lowly status and compromised health.
In this unique encounter, Christ speaks to us
through his mother and meets us where we are in
life, in the midst of our poverty and our
failures. He comes to tell us that he loves us
just as we are, with our successes but also with
our wounds, our weaknesses, and our limitations.
Empowered by this love, we are asked to in turn to
love and serve our fellow humankind in their
physical and spiritual poverty. This sense of
conversion and renewal that is received so
abundantly through devotion to Lourdes still gives
us reason to celebrate 150 years later.
Published in
Columbia, February 2008
Elizabeth Ficocelli
is a Catholic author who writes for children and
adults.
For more information, visit
www.elizabethficocelli.com
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