MIRACLES AT LOURDES

THE PILGRIMAGE SITE OF LOURDES HAS A SPECIAL ATMOSPHERE THAT IS REMARKED UPON BY ALL WHO VISIT. IT IS A PLACE OF PEACE, BLESSINGS AND MIRACLES

BY JOHN SCALLY

Ihave seen miracles. I felt I was on holy ground: each stone, each blade of grass, each singing bird flying over the basilica, each voice, each smiling face, each concerned look – all were holy, radiant ornaments on the sacred altar of creation, jewels in God’s sanctuary. I took comfort in the thought that although all is passing, all is eternal. In the stillness of my soul, I sensed the eternal movement and I saw deeper into the abundant calm. It was my first visit to Lourdes.

The story of Lourdes goes back to the birth, in 1844, of Bernadette Soubirous, the first child of an extremely poor miller in the town of Lourdes in southern France. The family was living in the basement of a dilapidated building when on February 11, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette in a cave above the banks of the Gave River near Lourdes. Bernadette, 14 years old, was known as a virtuous girl who had not even made her first Holy Communion. In poor health, she had suffered from asthma from an early age.

There were 18 appearances in all, the final one occurring on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16. Although Bernadette’s initial reports provoked scepticism, her daily visions of “the Lady” brought great crowds of the curious. The Lady, Bernadette explained, had instructed her to have a chapel built on the spot of the visions. There, the people were to come to wash in and drink of the water of the spring that had welled up from the very spot where Bernadette had been instructed to dig.

Each day I spent there, I saw not just one but a number of miracles. They were not miracles in the conventional sense: the blind did not see, the deaf did not hear, the lame did not walk. For many pilgrims, suffering is a recurring nightmare. During severe illness, it is difficult not to succumb to a sense of desolation. The real miracle of Lourdes is that the black clouds are lifted – at least temporarily. The most frequent healing is on the inside. Lourdes is full of holy people – so-called ‘ordinary people’

Patricia Seery

whose generosity towards God is a tangible sign of divine love. Frailty and holiness go hand in hand in Lourdes. This does not mean that all problems melt away. But Lourdes points us to a new reality which gives us the strength to face up to the harsh aspects of life, to experience and transmit the touch of God’s gentle love.

Lourdes invites us to place our trust in God who never leaves us or abandons us. It opens us to learning from our experiences and understanding that God speaks to us through all the events of our lives, be they good or bad. In this way, we can face the future with confidence, knowing that God will give us what we need for each day.

BEAUTIFUL SILENCE

For many post-primary teachers and students, September is not just the month of returning to school; it is also the month for undertaking a pilgrimage to Lourdes. One person who has experienced the peace and blessings of Lourdes is teacher Patricia Seery.

“I first went to Lourdes in September 2017, as part of the Dublin Diocesan Pilgrimage,” Patricia tells me. “I went in the role of a teacher accompanying students from my school who were volunteering as ‘Blue Shirts’ for the Dublin Pilgrimage.”

Patricia had always intended to visit Lourdes, as she was aware that it had been a special place for her late mother. “My Mam died when I was young and during the time that she was sick, she made a special visit to Lourdes. For my Mam, there was no miracle cure for her terminal illness – but there was a miracle in the way she approached the final months of her life and death. I was curious about the peace that she seemed to have received there.”

On her first visit, she was struck by the “beautiful silence” even while being surrounded by thousands of pilgrims. “Lourdes is a special place with a particular atmosphere that is difficult to describe. It has a rhythm of its own – candlelight processions, liturgies, the grotto, the baths, the events, moments of deep reflection and prayer.”

Having accompanied students on three trips to date, Patricia has been struck by the benefits her teenage charges have got from the Lourdes experience. “I believe it is an amazing opportunity for the students,” she says. “There is a whole process involved as to how they are chosen to represent their school on this pilgrimage. I am always so proud of the way they immerse themselves in their various duties. The days in Lourdes are long and busy for the young people. They are enthusiastic and hard-working and bring great joy to the pilgrims. The young people get a sense of the gift of health and well-being and perhaps an understanding of compassion towards those who suffer from an illness of life. I think they often realise how lucky they themselves are in terms of health and support for their lives. They also find great confidence to use their gifts and talents for the service of others.

“I feel that sometimes our very wonderful, sophisticated, technological young people are humbled and challenged by the faith of others, a faith that has sustained and underpinned their lives even in difficult chapters of loss, grief or sickness. They give me a great hope for humanity.”

MOMENTS OF GRACE

“Go and drink at the spring and wash yourself there.” These words of Mary to Bernadette during one of the apparitions inspired the development of the now famous baths near the grotto, in which pilgrims are immersed. Patricia was particularly taken by her visit to the baths. “I was curious to go to the baths, having heard so many stories about how you are soaking wet, then miraculously dry – without having to use a towel. Personally, I found the experience to be very moving and surreal. There is a certain vulnerability involved in the process, and afterwards a complete peace, a sense of beginning again.

“I felt that my visit to the baths for the first time was incredibly special, perhaps a moment of grace. I also thought that I might not repeat the process in the following years because it might lessen the uniqueness of my first visit. However, I do think it is an important ritual of the pilgrimage, and so I have done it every year. I think we also lead by example, so for my students to have as full an experience as possible, I encourage them to go to the baths.”

Another part of the visit that is special for Patricia takes place

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“I feel that sometimes our very wonderful, sophisticated, technological young people are humbled and challenged by the faith of others, a faith that has sustained and underpinned their lives even in difficult chapters of loss, grief or sickness”

on the last night of each pilgrimage. “I have developed a little ritual of my own. On the very last night of the pilgrimage, the students take ‘our candle’ to the grotto, to pray for the intentions of our entire school community, and for all who made it possible for the girls to be in Lourdes because of their generosity when we were fundraising.

“The girls each light a candle for the previous girls, to bless their lives wherever they are. There is something sacred about this moment: it is late, quiet, dark; it is the end of the students’ experience of Lourdes, and the beginning of what they will take back into their lives, their families and their communities in the future. We finish with a prayer to Our Lady.”

Lourdes has become a great blessing in Patricia’s life, a place where she experiences love, guidance and inspiration. “It is an amazing place. Faith is real there. There is an outpouring of love and devotion to Mary. I think I have a fuller understanding of Mary, the God-giver: Mary gives life to God and brings us to God. There is a sense of love and guidance from Mary in our lives, and there are the brave and courageous efforts of the little 14-year-old shepherdess, St Bernadette. She is a great role model for young people – to not give up, to have resilience, to keep the faith.”

A native of Roscommon, John Scally lectures in Theology in Trinity College Dublin.

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