KESAKSIAN ROHANI: Our Lady of Lourdes

In 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, a humble 14-year-old French girl in a grotto near the town of Lourdes in France asking for, among other things, prayer and penance for sinners. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times that year.

On the ninth appearance, Our Lady Lourdes as was made known, she had Bernadette dig up a spring of water where none had been found before. The water flowing from this spring, although pure, did not have any extraordinary scientific or medical properties. It has nonetheless been the source of countless miraculous cures till this day.

The Church investigated the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes thoroughly and Bishop Laurence of the diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes declared them to be authentic in 1862. About four to six million pilgrims visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes annually.

Bernadette herself entered the convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Nevers in 1866, serving our Lord with dignity, grace, and love in what was left of her short life. She passed away from tuberculosis in 1879 and was canonized as Saint Bernadette in 1933. To this day her body remains incorruptible (no signs of decomposition or decay), which is a sign of the miracle associated with her.

�one must have faith and pray;

the water will have no virtue without faith.�

Saint Bernadette

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

O' ever immaculate Virgin,

Mother of Mercy,

Health of the Sick,

Refuge of Sinners,

Comfortess of the Afflicted,

you know my wants,

my troubles,

my sufferings.

Look upon me with mercy.

When you appeared

in the grotto of Lourdes,

you made it a privileged sanctuary

where you dispense your favors,

and where many sufferers

have obtained the cure

of their infirmities,

both spiritual and corporal.

I come, therefore,

with unbounded confidence

to implore your maternal intercession.

My loving Mother,

obtain my request.

(mention your request)

I will try to imitate your virtues

so that I may one day

share your company

and bless you in eternity.

Amen.

"O my mother, in your heart

I placed all my anguish

of my heart and it is there

that I gain strength and courage."

Sainte Berrnadette Personal Notebook p.28

Monday, February 11, 2013
Our Lady of Lourdes (Optional Memorial)

First Reading

Genesis 1: 1 - 19

1	In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2	The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.
3	And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
4	And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
5	God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6	And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
7	And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so.
8	And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9	And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.
10	God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11	And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so.
12	The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13	And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14	And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,
15	and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so.
16	And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also.
17	And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth,
18	to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19	And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

Psalm

Psalms 104: 1 - 2, 5 - 6, 10, 12, 24, 35

1	Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, thou art very great! Thou art clothed with honor and majesty,
2	who coverest thyself with light as with a garment, who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent,
5	Thou didst set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be shaken.
6	Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
10	Thou makest springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,
12	By them the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.
24	O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures.
35	Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!

Gospel

Mark 6: 53 - 56

53	And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennes'aret, and moored to the shore.
54	And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him,
55	and ran about the whole neighborhood and began to bring sick people on their pallets to any place where they heard he was.
56	And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

Prayer

Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest your shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child, St. Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." A thousand times we congratulate you upon your Immaculate Conception. And now, O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, you know our wants, our troubles, our sufferings deign to cast upon us a look of mercy.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors, and already many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical. We come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain for us, O loving Mother, the granting of our request.

(state your request)

Through gratitude for your favors, we will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that we may one day share your glory.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your divine son while upon earth. You have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us; obtain for us from your Divine Son our special requests if it be the Divine Will.

Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

NINE DAY NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES

DAY ONE

O Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, virgin and mother, queen of heaven, chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of the Eternal Word and in virtue of this title preserved from original sin, we kneel before you as did little Bernadette at Lourdes and pray with childlike trust in you that as we contemplate your glorious appearance at Lourdes, you will look with mercy on our present petition and secure for us a favorable answer to the request for which we are making this novena.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY TWO

Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest yourself shining with light, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child Saint Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception!" O Mary Immaculate, inflame our hearts with one ray of the burning love of your pure heart Let them be consumed with love for Jesus and for you, in order that we may merit one day to enjoy your glorious eternity. O dispenser of His graces here below, take into your keeping and present to your Divine Son the petition for which we are making this novena.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY THREE

"You are all fair, O Mary, and there is in you no stain of original sin." O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. O brilliant star of sanctity, as on that lovely day, upon a rough rock in Lourdes you spoke to the child Bernadette and a fountain broke from the plain earth and miracles happened and the great shrine of Lourdes began, so now I beseech you to hear our fervent prayer and do, we beseech you, grant us the petition we now so earnestly seek.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.