Our Lady Of Lourdes

The foothills of southwestern France is the home of the world’s greatest pilgrimage sites. Our Blessed Mother first appeared to Saint Bernadette, a little peasant girl. She was very poor and lived in an old abandoned jail.

One day Bernadette was out gathering firewood with her sister and her cousin. Bernadette reached a nearby river and heard a noise like a gust of wind. She looked in the direction the noise was coming from. She noticed a grotto behind her and saw a very beautiful lady dressed in white beckoning to her. This lady was Our Blessed Mother! The lady looked like a statue of Our Lady that Bernadette prayed her Rosary in front of. Bernadette kneeled and prayed the Rosary. The Lady soon disappeared.

Bernadette returned to the grotto a few days later and was very happy to see the Lady there. Neither her sister nor cousin could see the Lady. The Lady asked Bernadette to return to the grotto for fifteen days. People from the village started to accompany her when they heard her speaking of the Lady. Most of them believed that Bernadette was crazy! Speaking of a Lady no one but her could see!

One week later, the Lady told Bernadette to drink and wash herself in a spring. Bernadette was to dig in the ground the Lady pointed out to her and eat the weed that was there. The people looked on in disbelief as Bernadette did what the Lady asked of her. The spring would have miraculous healing powers!

Bernadette returned to the spot the Lady told her to dig in and noticed that there was a stream flowing from that very spot. The Lady was not there that day. The authorities ordered that Bernadette not return to the grotto because they thought she was playing a trick on them.

A short time after, a woman who had a paralyzed arm washed it in the stream and immediately it was healed. News of this miracle spread and many people started going to the stream. Miracles continued to happen.

Bernadette told her priest that the lady wanted a church to be built near the grotto. He told her to ask the Lady what was her name. She asked the Lady and she said “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Bernadette did not know the meaning of this name, but when she told her priest, he understood and now believed all Bernadette had said about the Lady. A church was built as Our Blessed Mother had requested.

Millions of people have visited Lourdes to wash themselves in the healing water of Lourdes. Many miraculous healings occurred and still continue to this day.

February 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. We remember all our sick brothers and sisters on this day and pray especially for them on this day.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.