God’s grace works in the lives of the saints in different ways. St Bernadette is the saint we celebrate today. She was born to a poor family in France in 1844. She suffered poor health throughout her life, but God allowed our Mother Mary to appear to her in the French village of Lourdes to bring a message of mercy and repentance to the world. At Mary’s command, Bernadette dug a hole in the ground and brought the healing water of a hidden spring to the surface.To this day, millions of pilgrims from all over the world flock to this holy site to encounter God’s healing presence. Bernadette eventually became a nun and died at the age of 35 due to fragile health. Her body lies in a glass reliquary at the Convent in Nevers, France. I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Lourdes in both 2018 and 2025 on pilgrimage and to experience the healing waters of the spring there. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
In our first reading from Acts, the apostles give witness before the Sanhedrin that they’re following a higher authority that dictates their consciences, an authority that can be in conflict with civil authority. The Sanhedrin issued an edict that the apostles refrain from preaching the Gospel, but they declare that they must obey God, not man. We see situations like this in our modern world as well. We Catholics in modern America live in a land where we allow capital punishment . Even though the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, some individual states still allow abortion. Our own Diocese sued the federal government some years ago, along with other Catholic Dioceses, to protest provisions in insurance plans that we were forced to follow that violate the Gospel of Life. By refusing to obey the authorities, Peter and his companions were in danger. Their belief in the risen Lord compelled them to speak out and to follow their conscience. Man put Jesus to death, but God raised him up. May the example of these apostles inspire us on our own journeys.
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