Today, we gather not only to celebrate the honour of our Blessed Mother, but to also reflect on the urgent messages she imparted at Lourdes, which continue to inspire and guide us in our journey of faith. The apparitions of Our Lady at Lourdes, France, in 1858, remain a powerful reminder of the importance of prayer, repentance, and devotion.
As we delve into the messages of Our Lady, we see a recurring theme: the call to conversion and repentance. She has urged visionaries, Saint Bernadette Soubirous and all of us, to pray for sinners and to seek to be more wholly consecrated to God through prayer, penance, and good works.
In her first apparition on February 11, 1858, she said, "Prière, penitence, et travail" - "Prayer, penance, and work." These words echo the words of our Lord's plea in the Gospel to get our priorities straight, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" Matthew 6:33. Our Lady's message is clear: we must prioritize our spiritual lives by praying regularly, repenting of our sins, and engaging in good works to build the kingdom of God.
Her emphasis on prayer is a reminder that our relationship with God is the most important relationship we have and it hinges heavily on how much effort and discipline we put towards spending time with him. We even learn this from every other relationship we are a part of. Our Lady's message is for all of us as we are all children of God, and her children. We must pray regularly, with sincerity and devotion and with longing in our hearts that Jesus be known and his glory be revealed just as it was at Cana of Galilee. We are told that Jesus changed the water to wine, “…as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”
Our Lady's message is not just a call to individuals, but also to communities and entire nations. She prayed at Lourdes for the conversion of sinners and for the protection of the Church for just as God, upon seeing the repentance of all of Nineveh, spared that city, so too our Lady wishes us to pray and do penance and truly repent of our sinful ways so that God will not only spare us, but that he will be made known and loved by all. Notice how Our Blessed Mother takes nothing for granted, including God’s mercy. She beholds him face to face. She knows him better than we do. We’d be wise to heed her advice. Her message is a reminder that our faith is not just a personal affair, but a gift that will effect those around us, and the Church at large. We are called to work together to build up the Body of Christ, to support one another in our faith, and to pray for those who are struggling.
The second apparition on February 14, 1858, is particularly significant. Our Lady revealed the location of the underground spring, which would later become a source of healing and a symbol of spiritual renewal.
This apparition reminds us that we too must search for the hidden sources of life and spiritual renewal in our own lives. We must look to prayer, scripture, and sacraments as the sources of our spiritual strength.
In the apparition on February 24, 1858, Our Lady revealed the rosary to Saint Bernadette, teaching her to pray the rosary and to pray for sinners. The rosary remains an unparalleled devotion in the Church, as it helps us to reflect on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and to seek forgiveness and mercy.
As we reflect on the urgent messages of Our Lady at Lourdes, let us not be afraid to heed her voice which invites us to a more penitential and sacrificial way of life, for she will take whatever we give her, and present it to God with her very own, pure and holy hands. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
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