Since Our Lady appeared to Bernadette, Lourdes has been a site for miracles. There have been 67 miracles from the site that have been proven scientifically inexplicable. Mount Saint Mary's Grotto of Lourdes was built two decades after the apparitions of Mary to Bernadette. The grotto at Lourdes is a place of miracles, healings, laying on of priestly hands, and blessings for the sick.
Bernadette entered the convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Nevers in 1866, serving our Lord with dignity, grace, and love in her short life. She passed away from tuberculosis in 1879 and was canonized as a saint in 1933. To this day, her body remains incorruptible, showing no signs of decomposition or decay, a sign of the miracles associated with her.
In October 2016, my husband and I were blessed to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. In the evening, we walked in the beautiful candlelight Rosary Procession, listening to the sounds of the rosary being prayed in so many languages. The first morning, our priest concelebrated Mass at the Grotto where Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette. It was overwhelming to be in that sacred place, gazing at the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes which overlooks the Grotto. We were amazed that the huge basilica is built on top of the Grotto. We toured the beautiful Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Basilica of Saint Pius X, the largest underground basilica in the world. Truly spectacular!
Day and night, people gathered in the Grotto, the sick and disabled, young and old, priests, seminarians and sisters, all praying to Our Lady of Lourdes. It was particularly moving to see the sick and disabled children who were wheeled to the Grotto. There was one family who remain in my heart and prayers. The father was pushing his son in a wheelchair. There were five younger boys and the mother was carrying a baby in her arms. The father was leading the rosary and praying with his young family as they walked the grounds near the Grotto.
My husband and I witnessed a Eucharistic Procession, a gathering of altar servers from all over France. The procession began with the Eucharist, held by a priest under a canopy, followed by many priests, seminarians and 2,500 altar servers, followed by their families. The procession crossed over the river by the Grotto. I thought about the Eucharist as the "river of life" flowing from the sanctuary and this verse came to mind:
"Then the angels showed me the river of life-giving water sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. " Revelation 22:1
As I have pondered this pilgrimage, there is no doubt in my mind that Our Lady called us to her beautiful shrine to shower us with her graces. We each went to confession to be cleansed spiritually through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and we went to the miraculous baths at the Grotto. Both of us experienced the presence of Our Lady, each in our own unique and special way. We were together, yet apart. I remember being immersed in prayer and overwhelmed by the love of Jesus and Mary. When I came out of the baths, as I prayed at the beautiful statue of Our Lady, I noticed it was the Hour of Divine Mercy. How amazing that was to me! We met afterwards, hugged each other and immediately went to pray in the adoration chapel, overcome with joy and emotion, pondering all Our Lady had done for us.
Saint Bernadette once said of the spring she discovered that “one must have faith and pray; the water will have no virtue without faith.” Let us all be inspired by this prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes approach her with faith, hope and love!
PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES
Mary, you showed yourself to Bernadette in the crevice of the rock. In the cold and grey of winter, you brought the warmth, light and beauty of your presence. In the often obscure depths of our lives, in the depth of the world where evil is so powerful, bring hope, return our confidence!
You are the Immaculate Conception, come to our aid, sinners that we are. Give us the humility to have a change of heart, the courage to do penance. Teach us to pray for all people. Guide us to the source of true life. Make us pilgrims going forward with your Church, whet our appetite for the Eucharist, the Bread for the journey, the Bread of Life.
The Spirit brought about wonders in you, O Mary, by His power, He has placed you near the Father, in the glory of your eternal Son. Look with kindness on our miserable bodies and hearts. Shine forth for us, like a gentle light, at the hour of our death.
Together with Bernadette, we pray to you, O Mary, as your poor children. May we enter, like her, into the spirit of the Beatitudes. Then, we will be able, here below, begin to know the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven and sing together with you: Magnificat!
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Saint Bernadette Soubirous, pray for us.
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