Today, we celebrate our Lady of Lourdes, based on an apparition of the Virgin Mary that took place in France to a 14-year old girl named Bernadette in the year 1858. In one of the apparitions, she revealed herself to Bernadette as the Immaculate Conception. Our Lady of Lourdes was officially deemed worthy of veneration by the local bishop in 1862. The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes was recognized world-wide in 1907. Bernadette herself was canonized as a Catholic saint in 1933 by Pope Pius XI. Even though there have been many Marian apparitions throughout history, Our Lady of Lourdes is only one of seventeen apparitions officially recognized by the Catholic Church. Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage for the faithful, actually one of the main places of Christian pilgrimage in the world. Many people who are sick and hurting come to Lourdes for healing. But beyond a place of pilgrimage and healing, I would call Our Lady of Lourdes a place of faith. Out of their faith in God, their faith in Jesus, and their faith in the Blessed Mother, they come to Lourdes to encounter God in a special way. Many who visit Lourdes feel the presence of Mary there is a special way. Many of them return home renewed in faith and spirit, ready to serve God in their needy brothers and sisters. Having been to Lourdes, I felt the faith of so many people who came to this place in rural France, many of them from halfway around the world.
What a wonderful Gospel we hear today about the Blessed Mother in the Wedding of Cana. Mary tells those at the wedding: Do whatever he tells you to do. Mary knew that it was time for him to start his public ministry. Mary was there at the Wedding of Cana as the first disciple, believing in her son as the Son of God. We honor Mary in a special way today. May our Blessed Mother continue to lead us and guide us on our journey of faith.
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