Our Lady of Lourdes
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Today, February 11 is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which marks the first of 18 appearances of Mary to Bernadette Soubirous, a 14 year old peasant girl in Lourdes, France. The message Mary gave to the world through St. Bernadette was this: Our prayer and penance (sacrifice) are necessary for the conversion of sinners and to save them from hell.
At Fatima – Mary showed the three children a vision of hell, immediately after which she instructed them saying:
When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls into Heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.
Then on August 19, 1917 Mary appeared again at Fatima saying:
“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.”
What any mother wants most - is for ALL her children to go to heaven - and what any good mother fears most is that a child might be lost. At Lourdes and Fatima Our Lady begs her children who are listening to help those who are in danger of hell by prayer and sacrifice. We don’t like hearing about hell, but Mary is more concerned about her children, your brothers and sisters, than she is worried about hurting our feelings. The time of our indifference needs to be over – we need to answer the call of our Mother.
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The first part of the message at Lourdes is to pray for the conversion of sinners in the Rosary.
In each apparition, Mary appeared to Bernadette with a golden rosary with white beads draped over her right arm. In preparation for each apparition, St. Bernadette went to the grotto and prayed the rosary. For the first time in any Marian apparition, Mary prayed parts of the rosary with the visionary. During the Our Fathers and the Hail Marys, Our Lady let her fingers glide over the beads as St. Bernadette prayed them; when it came time to pray the Glory Be, she joined her voice to that of St. Bernadette.
Lourdes reveals the fact that every time we pray the Rosary, like you are right now, Mary comes to us, and prays with us. But she does not come alone, for Jesus is always the fruit of her womb, of her care, therefore she always brings the presence of Jesus to those who pray the Rosary.
You are in the presence of Mary and Jesus – right now – as we pray this decade. Be aware of their presence.
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The second part of Mary’s message at Lourdes was to offer penance or sacrifice for the conversion of sinners. When asked about this, Bernadette replied three times: “Penance, Penance, Penance.”
God doesn’t need us. He’s God after all. But He created a world in which we have a necessary role – to bring new humans into existence, to care for them, and help them to be saved from the eternal consequences of sin which is hell.
By His death and resurrection, Jesus was the ultimate Change Agent. Now He gives us a way of being agents of change with him. Jesus invites us to become co-workers with him, helping him save souls by uniting our prayer, work, joy and suffering to His.
We can really help our family, friends and those who have no one to help them – we can help them to conversion and to heaven by doing the morning offering each day and then offering things throughout the day.
The Morning Offering can be made with words such as: Father, I give you my prayer, work, joy and suffering of this day. I unite it to your sacrifice made present in the Mass. And I offer it for the conversion of sinners and for all the intentions of my family and friends.
Then many times through the day say: Jesus I offer this for you and for sinners – be it a prayer, your work, some good pleasure or suffering.
Souls won’t come into existence if we don’t cooperate with God; people may die of hunger if we don’t cooperate with God; and souls may go to hell if we don’t cooperate with God by our prayer and sacrifice.
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In the 9th appearance (on 25 February) Bernadette relates:
"(The Lady) told me that I should go and drink at the fountain and wash myself. Seeing no fountain, I went to drink at the river. She said it was not there; she pointed with her finger that I was to go in under the rock. I went, and I found a puddle of water which was more like mud, and the quantity was so small that I could hardly gather a little in the hollow of my hand. Nevertheless, I obeyed, and started scratching the ground; after doing that I was able to take some. The water was so dirty that three times I threw it away. The fourth time I was able to drink it. The spring reportedly began to flow a day later.”
From that spring brought forth by Our Lady now flows a river of healing waters that are caught in a number of baths. More than 7000 people have reported miraculous physical healings from bathing in the waters at Lourdes in conjunction with the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of Anointing. 69 of those healings have been scientifically verified as unexplainable – hence miraculous cures.
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In 1854 The Pope proclaimed the truth of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This was confirmed in a heavenly way at Lourdes four years later. Bernadette testified:
"I went every day for a two weeks, and each day I asked the woman who she was – and this petition always made her smile. After the fortnight I asked her three times consecutively. She always smiled. At last, I tried for the fourth time. She stopped smiling. With her arms down, she raised her eyes to heaven and then, folding her hands over her breast she said, 'I am the Immaculate Conception.' Then I went back to our parish priest to tell him that she had said she was the Immaculate Conception, and he asked was I absolutely certain. I said yes, and so as not to forget the words, I had repeated them all the way home."