A great witness to life

H/T APOSTOLATE OF THE LAITY

Happy Trinity Sunday!

Happy Holy Trinity Sunday! The great mysteries of our faith continue to astound me. I blundered into a confirmation mass last Sunday and it was one of great peace and beauty. It is easy to forget that the Holy Spirit is always moving, even if you can't see the fire quite as clearly as Peter- you can still feel it. I haven't had as much of a chance to blog as I would like in these couple of months and I have felt the loss of it. I have been trying to make some important decisions and listen very carefully to the Lord as I decide whether to take a year to teach in a community in need next year (September 2011) I have been teaching now for 5 years and I do love my job but I also want to give some more time to God and give a short time in service. I think this is probably the least that I can do for Him and I am well aware I will probably receive far more than I could ever give.

I have felt the need to be very still and reflect a little over the last few months. I feel providence is working through those I have met and although the press has been giving the Church a ritual battering for all sorts of things, it is important to remember that for all the ill there really are just some amazing people in our Church. I'm not talking about the lauded heroes or great saints - (though obviously we are proud and deeply in need of the communion of saints and our great martyrs) I'm just talking about the people we meet on the ground level who love God and see him in others. There is so much to be joyful about. Speaking of joys I haven't made to Lourdes this year, I will wait to see if the good Lady gives me the chance to go back. If not then I shall think back joyfully over the blessings I have had while there and be so very thankful for them.

On Trinity Sunday one realises that in every aspect of our God there is hope and a different way of communicating with us, his people. I am hopeful that we can listen.

Even when I go a little quiet always be assured of my prayers for all your intentions, especially today when we celebrate the greatness of our God and His sensitivity to all aspects of our being as well as all aspects of his.

Peace be with you!

The anniversary of St. Bernadette

Bernadette died at three o'clock in the afternoon on the first Wednesday after Easter. Sister Nathalie, a Sister of Charity of Nevers gives this account: "Toward three o'clock in the afternoon she seemed in the grip of inexpressible interior anguish. The sisters in the infirmary were alarmed and fetched holy water which they sprinkled over her while suggesting pious invocations to her. She took hold of her crucifix, contemplated it with love, then slowly kissed Christ's wounds, one by one."

In the hour of Christ's death Bernadette raised her arms in a cross and cried out "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, poor sinner, poor sinner ..."

Bernadette had been told at the grotto many years before that she would not be happy in this world but in the other. She had taken this to heart and she never took it for granted. Her life was one of suffering and giving. Bernadette did not always find life easy but she gave herself completely to her vocation and gave up her beloved Lourdes. Her body remains a visible witness to faith in

Nevers.

Prayer to St. Bernadette

Bernadette, you have long sought the Lord where he called you to.

You asked. You listened. You trusted.

You were sure the Lord would guide you.

You surrendered yourself completely in the hands of God.

Like Mary you are confidant

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same confidence, the same generosity and patience.

Lord, enlighten me on my path

And give me strength to say "yes"

when I hear your call.

Bernadette, you intensely desired the Eucharist,

You had done everything to receive communion

in the Body of Christ,

You loved to adore the Blessed Sacrament,

You united your life living in the offering,

that of Christ at the alter.

Like Mary, the Woman of the Eucharist

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same hunger for the Eucharist, the food,

presence and sacrifice.

Lord, you have given us your Son,

the living and eternal Bread.

That the Eucharist transforms my life to be a

perpetual act of thanksgiving.

Bernadette, you always enjoyed serving others,

On 11th of February, the Virgin appeared to you when you

were fetching wood.

Among sisters, you learned to treat the sick and

residents of the hospice

Later, in Nevers, you were an excellent nurse,

offering an attentive and intelligent in charity.

Like Mary, who saw the family's needs, in Cana.

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same generosity and the same faith

to see that Christ is present in each one

Lord, you have given us brothers and sisters to love.

That our eyes, our hands and our hearts are open

to all those that you put in our way.

Bernadette, your faith has grown in the Church.

The Church, it was your family, your church,

your religious community.

Bravely, you went to tell the priests to hold a procession

and to build a chapel.

Once your mission was accomplished,

you retreated in silence and humility.

Like Mary, in this day of Pentecost and then silence.

Bernadette,

Inspire in me the same love of the Church:

I trust that it will support me in my prayer.

Lord, you give everyone a place in your Church.

Let me answer my vocation with the same simplicity

and the same generosity as Bernadette.

Amen!

(Copyright Service Creation- Sanctuaries Notre-Dame de Lourdes)

This time last year I was fortunate enough to be in Lourdes on this day and little mention was made of Bernadette there. Her humility and recognition that she was simply a courier of messages at Lourdes mean that she is rarely the focus there. This, I think, would have pleased her. She is, of course, of great importance to the place but you often have to seek her out if you really want to understand her. So many people do. For me, for countless millions of others whether Catholic or not Bernadette is a powerhouse of strength, love and faith at its best.

Pray for us St. Bernadette!

Happy Easter!

So, what happened to the girl who used to write this blog? Excellent question! It has been weeks since I have sat down to write a proper post. Well, if you had noticed I was gone, - I'm back. It seems like an appropriate day to stage a return.

It is very easy to get caught up in a series of "busy nothings" in life or, worse still, allow your life to become that series of busy nothings- there have been times recently when I felt like either or both of these were the case. I have been fighting against this fear of "busy nothings" in these weeks of Lent, like so many others, trying to maintain a sense of peace and prayer in my life amidst endless deadlines. It is definitely not always as easy as it seems. However, here we are on Easter Sunday and I feel, looking back I can only now see clearly the graces I have been given in these last six weeks of preparation. Perhaps part of the experience of Lent is battling to find the meaning and truth of all we experience in the weeks leading up to Easter. Things which seemed like mere distraction can give those stolen moments of reflection greater meaning and strength when they do come. When they don't come, perhaps our longing for them has some value too. Lent is that period of "lengthening" of longing for hope and peace and relationship with Him - the Lord we might only catch glimpses of in this life.

Now Easter is here I am overwhelmed, as always, by its beauty and its light. My words are inadequate. But we all know that really trying to understand the mystery is the work of a lifetime. Its good to be back reading posts though, sharing that work with you all. As I watched the Urbi et Orbi today I was struck by that thought, how close we all are in our faith. May we journey onwards together in the midst of our great hope!

I wish you all a most happy and blessed Easter! May the peace of Christ be with you!

I MISSED ONE! 15TH Apparition

Thursday 4th of March

And so the main 14 days of apparitions come to an end. Again, Bernadette returned to the grotto with her Rosary and asked the Lady's name as she had been told to by the priest. In her own words:

"The third time I went to see M. le Curé, to tell him that a Lady had ordered me to go and say to the priests that they were to have a chapel built there, he looked at me for a moment, and then he said to me in a rather gruff tone, 'Who is this lady?' I answered that I did not know. Then he commissioned me to ask her name and to come and tell him. The next day when I arrived at the grotto I recited my rosary and then asked her, from M. le Curé what her name was, but all she did was to smile. When I got back I went to M. le Curé to tell him that I discharged his commission, and her only response was her smile; then he said she was laughing at me and that I would do well not to go to her again. But, I could not help going."

The Lady smiled once more but the vision was silent. The crowd was now far too large to put an exact number on but a conservative estimate is 8000 people. Bernadette's focus remained compete. The crowd was waiting for the miracle that would prove the Lady's divinity. It did not come and Peyramale, along with many others were unimpressed and took this as proof of their suspicions.

The grotto stood for the next twenty days with no visits from Bernadette or her Aquiro. The Lady would only appear another three times. However, the next apparition would cause the greatest commotion of all. On Thursday the 25th of March the Lady would reveal her name.

Anniversary of the 14th Apparition

Wednesday 3rd of March

Bernadette arrived early in the morning on this day as this was when the Lady most often appeared. As always Bernadette seemed focused only on seeing the Lady and was undisturbed by Peyramale's comments of the day before. Like Mary's, Bernadette's faith was unwavering and she did not falter in her belief that she must go to the grotto as she had been asked. She would later say in her usual direct and simple manner 'I have nothing to say because I have always told the truth'.

However, early as Bernadette was and surrounded by a crowd of THREE THOUSAND people the Lady did not appear and Bernadette left for school disheartened. However, in the evening she was compelled to go back to the grotto and there she met once more with the Lady she so loved to look on.

Bernadette had been told by Peyremale to ask the Lady for her name. He had also asked that the Lady make the rosebush flower as proof of her existence. Ever faithful Bernadette repeated this message from the priest but the Lady simply smiled back at the girl gazing upon her, bowed a little and smiled

Anniversary of the 13th Apparition

Tuesday 2nd of March

At this apparition the Lady would make two requests that are staples of the modern Lourdes - one a chapel and the other procession. Bernadette would later tell how the Lady asked quite simply:

"Go, tell the priests to come here in procession and to build a chapel here”


That is exactly what Bernadette did- taking the short walk up to the house of Peyramale who was a generous but firm priest - known for his clarity and his temper. Little Bernadette, a peasant girl who would be indistinguishable from any other village peasant was accompanied by her two Aunts. The Soubirous family were still rather sceptical about the visions themselves. They were practical people but they also knew Bernadette and that all her life she had been unequivocally honest. They knew that she would not deceive them and therefore they walked with her. Peyramale's reputation was not without foundation - Bernadette repeated the Lady's request and aggravated his famous temper. He asked her if she or the Lady had any money. Bernadette shook her head- she had to admit she had nothing - not even a penny.
'Neither do I!' shouted Peyramale.
Peyramale told Bernadette that if the Lady wanted a chapel the least she could do was mention her name. He said that before she got anything she should make the wild rose bushes flower - a miracle to prove that she was deserving of her chapel or any time at all. Bernadette simply said she would ask the Lady all that Peyramale had told her to ask. He told her to go home and to stop her deception. He also told off her aunts for letting this silly little girl bother him in the first place. He shooed them away but Bernadette returned a few minuets later to ask that people should come in procession - she had forgotten this part because Peyramale had been so outraged by the chapel she hadn't even got to the second part of the request. Angered even more by this the priest told her once more to go home and stop her deception - he slammed his window shut. Bernadette went home but there was no deception to put an end to and her messages from the Lady would certainly not end there. Little did she know that the man who had turned her away on this day would soon become her ardent defender. The power of Aquiro.

The photo above is the chapel as seen from the grotto at night.

Anniversary of the 12th apparition

The crowds were now at about 1500 and on this day, for the first time, a priest was among them. During the night something strange had happened and there was an atmosphere of excitement - though Bernadette seemed only aware, as usual, of the Lady she ran to the grotto to meet. She conversed with the Lady and continued her acts of penance.

A pregnant housewife Catherine Latapie had gone to the spring Bernadette had dug days before with the idea that bathing her arm, which had a paralysis of the ulnar nerve and caused her a great deal of pain, might soothe the agony. Her arm was healed and from that time forward caused her no pain. She also went into labour immediately and had to leave the grotto after which her baby was safely delivered. Dr Dozous, the local and esteemed M.D. was interested in this event and began recording the events at the spring which had medical implications. This is often recorded as the first miracle.

Anniersar of the 11th apparition

11th Apparition

Sunday 28th. February

Bernadette continued to carry out her acts of penance with the graciousness and humility that so struck the crowd of now over one thousand people. This would involve Bernadette being absorbed in prayer, kissing the ground, drinking from the overflowing spring and moving on her knees as a sign of penance. Some still did not know what to make of her but the increasing popularity and notoriety of the grotto was giving the authorities a headache. Lourdes was anxious not be seen as a backwards mountain outpost and for this reason Bernadette was taken to the house of Judge Ribes following this vision. Bernadette was threatened with prison and interrogated (again). She remained firm saying she had made a promise to Aquiro and she could not break it. She would return to the grotto.

Anniversary of the 10th apparition

Saturday 27th. February:

Eight hundred people crowded round the grotto where, two days before, Bernadette had dug a muddy puddle. The puddle was now a flowing spring - almost reaching the banks of the Gav. People watched as Bernadette carried out her acts of penance; drinking the water and eating the weeds. People waited for another message from the Lady. She remained silent. Watching. Praying. Those who had laughed and jeered at the previous apparition were also silent. Perhaps no longer so sure what to think about the little girl from Lourdes who seemed to have such dignity and grace in all she did- even when these actions might invoke judgement and involve humiliation.