I want to explore what else can be revealed from Bernadette’s visions of the Blessed Mother. There are so many stories of testimony from people who followed her to the grotto, and I have also only begun to scratch the surface of Bernadette’s accounts of the messages she received. Honestly, I am finding myself a little overwhelmed at the volume of information and inspiration I am finding. With that in mind, I’m going to spend 2 days sharing all of it with you.
Witnesses at the Grotto
One witness to Bernadette at a visit to the grotto, Fr. Desirat of Lourdes, shared, “What struck me was the joy, the sadness reflected in Bernadette’s face… Respect, silence, recollection reigned everywhere. Oh it was good to be there – It was like being at the gates of paradise.” (cited here, para 9)
Another witness, Dr. Dozous, shares a longer account of one particular incident during a vision. I will link to the page again here (para 14-17) in case you’d like to read his full quote. The basic story he shares is about Bernadette, holding a a candle during one of the apparitions, and for a good 15 minutes, the flame of the candle was touching one of her hands, but she was not burned. He even investigated further after the vision, and she definitely felt the fire when the flame got near to that hand.
Mary Spoke
Mary actually didn’t speak to Bernadette until the third apparition, and the first thing she said was, “what I have to say to you does not have to be written down.” (cited here, para 1) Evidently, Bernadette brought paper and pencil with her so she could record what was happening, and Mary’s message to Bernadette was that she really just wants to have a heartfelt talk with her. I’m sure this was also comforting to Bernadette, who was not a highly educated person. This statement from Mary probably put her at ease.
Another message from Mary at this visit was, “I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other.” (same site, para 3) That can be a difficult message to appreciate. We are not, by our nature, quite that patient. It is a rare gift, I think, to be able to accept suffering in this life because of the promise of our joyful eternal life that is to come. I know we also get this message from the Gospels, so I wonder if she was sent to reiterate that teaching because the Lord believed we needed a reminder.
A Few Big Ideas
Mary instructed Bernadette, “Go tell the priests to come here in procession and build a chapel here.” (cited here, para 6) To “come in procession” in the dialect that Bernadette spoke, referred to a practice of leaving the parish to go out and meet people from other parishes and share their journey.
Since Bernadette did successfully convince her parish priest to get a chapel built there, the site of the visions has become exactly what the Blessed Mother requested. People make pilgrimages to Lourdes from all over the world, and while they are there, they share a common purpose and experience. They “meet in peace and brotherly love.” (same citation as the last one) Rich or poor, young or old, healthy or sick, the message of hope at Lourdes has a similar ring for everyone. With the climate of the world today, that might be a bigger miracle than any of the healing.
I found an article here that summarizes the message from Mary’s apparitions to Bernadette in this way, “God is love and he loves us as we are.” (para 1) The fact that Mary came to Bernadette in a dirty grotto is symbolic of the Lord coming to us where we are, no matter where that is. Evidently, this grotto was dirty and dark, yet the Blessed Virgin appears there dressed in white, as the ultimate image of purity. That juxtaposition should remind us that Jesus spent time with the poor and delivered his message to sinners, with no regard for the reactions of the elite, who felt that such people should be shunned. The apparitions at Lourdes are almost a physical embodiment of the Beatitudes.
So let’s just think about the major themes of peace and love when we think of St. Bernadette and her experiences at the grotto in Lourdes. How can we take that message into our own lives and share it with others? What can we do today, and everyday, to promote that lesson?
Dear Lord, thank you for sending Your mother to share her message of hope with the world. We want to learn from her example and from Your messages that she passed along to us through St. Bernadette. Help us to see You in all the ways that You choose to communicate with us. Guide us to do Your will.