The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes assumes a special profile on this the 150^th Anniversary of the Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous, later to be declared St. Bernadette. In the apparitions, Mary was wonderfully made present in a vision to the young Bernadette. In the course of these apparitions, Mary invited Bernadette to drink from a spring of water which issued from the rock near where the Our Lady stood. For the last 150 years, pilgrims have bathed in and taken these waters as a sign of faith. There have been many healings and cures, 67 of which have been recognised as miraculous by the Church. There have been many more healings of soul and spirit.

Over the decades since 1858, Lourdes has increasingly become a place of pilgrimage, prayer and spiritual renewal for millions, not least for the sick and their helpers, for whom Lourdes is like a spiritual home and source of consolation and strength. Pilgrims who visit Lourdes commonly say that they have been immeasurably enriched by the experience, encountering the Lord in a profound and frequently moving way through the intercession of Mary. The unique witness of the sick and the corresponding ministry to the sick are also important dimensions in the Lourdes experience of God’s love. This spiritual healing and renewal can surely be classed as yet another “miracle” of Lourdes, a true miracle in the order of grace.

Mary identified herself to Bernadette as the Immaculate Conception. The young visionary did not know what that title meant. She ran as fast as she could to repeat this to the priests, and they heard it with wonder, knowing that little Bernadette could not have invented that name. The Immaculate Conception is the privilege of grace whereby Mary was preserved free of original sin from the first moment of her existence. For that reason, we honour her as the sinless Mother of God. God gave Mary the grace for her vocation as the Mother of the Lord. We can be sure that he will give us the strength to live out our vocation as disciples of Jesus, of whom Mary is the first and the greatest. As we move into this Lenten season, we ask her to help us in our struggle against temptation and sin, and to grow in love of her Divine Son.

Mary gave Bernadette a message that people needed to do penance. She passed that message on to the bishop and priests. She herself took the veil and accepted the penitential life of a contemplative sister. Jesus first message was: “The kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the good news.” Repentance and conversion of heart are at the heart of the Christian experience. We need to turn to God in order to welcome his kingdom and rule. We need to do penance if we are to aspire the kingdom of heaven. As we embark upon the season of Lent, we recognise that Mary’s message to Bernadette echoes the message of Jesus. At the wedding feast of Cana, Mary was there and told the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them. They did, and water was changed into wine. As we observe this season of Lent, Mary is here with us and continues to tell us to do whatever Jesus tells us. Who knows what changes for the better may well result!

The future of Christianity is one in which we need to believe more and believe better. Gone are the days when the faith can be passed on passively and automatically from one generation to the next. The days have arrived when each person has to make that decision of faith for himself because they recognise that in Jesus and in his Church they have found the mystery of grace for their lives. In that kind of scenario for the future of the Church, Lourdes as the place of Mary’s appearing to Bernadette 150 years ago, remains a unique and holy place of encounter between God and man which brings to many people the Lord’s healing and saving touch, and assures them of his presence.  

St. Mirin’s Cathedral, Paisley

11^th February 2008.