THE MOTHER’S HEART
OUR LADY OF LOURDES

By Brother Patrick

Lourdes is an ancient village situated in a mountainous region of Southern France. It is one of those beautiful places, so common in Europe, that has experienced both the light and darkness of the human experience. The ravages of war. The barbarian invasions. The glamour and pettiness of powerful princes. Poverty and pestilence nestled in breathtaking scenery. Good times and hard times. Life as it is and always will be.

The year is 1858. Bernadette Soubirous, along with her parents and nine siblings, live in a one-room apartment that was once a jail. The family is not just poor. They are bankrupt. Five of the nine children die before adolescence. Bernadette is the eldest child. She is sickly, afflicted by cholera, and suffers from severe asthma. Due largely to poor nutrition, Bernadette grows only to four and a half feet tall. As a youth, she barely learns to read and write. Her progress is stalled again and again by illness.

One midwinter’s day, Bernadette, along with a friend and younger sister, gather firewood near a shallow cave or grotto. It is a place where livestock is brought to feed. The work is finished but Bernadette lingers at the grotto. She suddenly hears the sound of a strong breeze, but nothing moves except for a bush of wild roses near the entrance of the little cave. From the grotto comes a dazzling light. Bernadette sees what she later describes as a “small young lady” dressed in white. It is the first of eighteen apparitions.

When asked to describe her vision, Bernadette describes a young woman who wears a white veil, a blue sash, and a yellow rose upon each foot. The description matches an image of the Blessed Mother that stands in the village church. But Bernadette never claims to see the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is only during the seventeenth apparition that the small young lady identifies herself as Mary, when she says: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

More than 150 years later, we equate Our Lady of Lourdes with miracles of healing. And so we should. In reality, however, the Blessed Mother does not speak about healing the sick. Mary begins with the sign of the cross. With this sign from her mother’s heart, Mary reminds us of the Father’s great love for us. She reminds us of her Son’s great sacrifice for us.

Mary’s messages to Bernadette are clear and concise: Come to me. Do penance. Pray for the conversion of sinners. Build a church. Bring people to it. From her mother’s heart, Mary does not promise Bernadette a happy life. She does not promise a healthy life. She does not promise a long life. Instead, Mary promises eternal life for those who believe in her and follow her in faith, hope, and love. In response, Bernadette offers a simple prayer: “O Jesus! O Mary! Let my entire consolation in this world be to love you and to suffer for sinners. Amen.”

News of the visions at Lourdes spreads quickly. By November 1858, the local bishop launches an investigation. One year later, the bishop declares: “The Virgin Mary did appear indeed to Bernadette Soubirous.” In 1864, a statue is placed in the grotto that matches Bernadette’s description of the Blessed Mother. More than twenty thousand pilgrims attend the dedication. Bernadette’s testimony is not an article of faith. But the voices of God’s faithful people speak. More than seven thousand miracles are reported. Six million pilgrims visit Lourdes every year.

Since 1876, almost every pope has visited or written about Saint Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes. In 1907, for example, Pope Pius X establishes the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11th. He writes: “The unique glory of the Shrine of Lourdes lies in the fact that people are drawn there from everywhere by Mary to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, so that this place…surpasses in glory all others in the Catholic world.”

In 1957, Pope Pius XII issues an encyclical about Lourdes. He writes: “Go to her, you who are crushed by misery, you who are defenseless against the hardships of life and the indifference of others. Go to her, you who are assailed by sorrow and trial. Go to her, beloved infirm and invalids…Go to her and receive peace in your hearts, strength for your daily duties, and joy for the sacrifices you offer.”

Five decades later, Pope John XXIII explains the true meaning and importance of Lourdes in a most simple and compelling way: “From Mary to Jesus.” Indeed, this seems like the basic message from Our Lady of Lourdes. From Mary to Jesus. From the core of her being, Mary points to Jesus. From her mother’s heart, Mary leads us to Jesus. From her mother’s heart, Mary shows us the way of salvation.

From her mother’s heart, Mary calls to us as she once beckoned Bernadette: Come to me. Do penance. Pray for the conversion of sinners. Build a church. Bring people to it. Welcome everyone, especially the sick. Treat them with love. Treat them with respect. Once again, from her mother’s heart, Mary does not promise a happy life. She does not promise a healthy life. She does not promise a long life. Instead, Mary promises us eternal life — if we believe in her and follow her in prayer; if we follow her in faith, hope, and love.

In our own time, Pope Francis says: “At Lourdes, Mary comes to us as a mother, always open to the needs of her children. Through the light that streams from her face, God’s mercy is made manifest. Let us allow ourselves to be touched by her gaze, which reminds us that we are all loved by God, and that we are never abandoned by him!” The Holy Father then renews Mary’s call to prayer. He says: “Mary comes to remind us that prayer which is humble and intense, trusting and persevering, must have a central place in our lives.” This is why we who are sick and suffering turn in prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes.

From across time and from her mother’s heart, Mary beckons us as she once called out to the little saint of the grotto. Come to me. Do penance. Pray for the conversion of sinners. Build a church. Bring people to it. Reflecting on Our Lady of Lourdes, her miracles of healing, and her mother’s heart, we join Pope Francis in this simple prayer: “May Mary be for all people the Mother who surrounds her children in their joys and in their trials! Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, teach us to believe, teach us to hope, teach us to love like you do. Show us the way to the kingdom of your son, Jesus!…Lead us on our way!”

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Bernadette Soubirous, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us! May God bless you! May the Lord give you peace!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

Art Credit: Lourdes by Serenethos – 13620516 – Dreamstime

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. The Assisi Project Podcast is produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

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