Wisdom Satu: The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is February 11. May She Intercede for You Today.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is February 11. May She Intercede for You Today.

Good morning, Wisdom.

A Beautiful Woman, a Miraculous Spring of Water

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, and we celebrate her messsage of peace, penance, and healing. In 1858, a 14-year-old peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, was gathering firewood in the countryside when a beautiful woman, standing on a rock in a natural grotto, appeared to her. This began a series of 18 apparitions in which Bernadette talked and prayed with the woman. On one visit, the mysterious woman instructed Bernadette to dig into the dry ground and drink from the spring that flowed there. Although no spring was visible, Bernatdette scratched at the ground and a spring began to bubble up. To this day, the water continues to flow, which have have a miraculous healing property. Lourdes is well-known for the many miracles of healing that have taken place there over the years.

'I Am the Immaculate Conception'

The woman identified herself as the Immaculate Conception, a title that identifes the privilege granted to Our Lady of being born without any trace of original sin. To this day, thousands of pilgrims flock to the grotto every year to drink from the holy spring and to draw nearer to Christ through the intercession of his Blessed Mother.

Would You Like to Know More about Mary?

Keeping Mary Close: Devotion to Our Lady Through the Ages, by Mike Aquilina and Fr. Frederick W. Gruber, explains how devotion to Mary developed over the ages, and how titles such as the Immaculate Conception developed. Mary has played an important role in the Church from the very beginning. If you want to know more about devotion to Our Lady—and what role that devotion can play in your life—this book can help you. To learn more, click on the book cover.

You don't have to go to France to experience the blessings of Lourdes. The United States is full of shrines, large and small, that honor Mary under many titles, including Our Lady of Lourdes. Visiting Mary: Her U.S. Shrines and their Graces, by Julie Dortch Cragon, describes many of these popular shrines. Not only does she provide details for those who hit the road to visit them, but she discusses the special graces that accompany each of Mary's titles. You can visit these shrines in person—or experience their graces without ever leaving your living room! To learn more, click on the book cover.