February 11, 2026 - Our Lady of Lourdes (School Mass) - Miracles flow when we listen to Mary

 

168 years ago today, the Blessed Virgin Mary began appearing to a poor peasant girl in a small village called Lourdes in France. The poor peasant girl’s name was Bernadette. Bernadette was 14 years old. She was poor. She was not a strong student. She had asthma and was often sick.

One day, while gathering firewood near a rocky cave called the Grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette saw something amazing. She saw a beautiful Lady dressed in white with a blue sash and golden roses at her feet.

The beautiful Lady was the Blessed Virgin Mary. From February 10 to July 15, 1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette 18 times. Mary didn’t give long speeches. Rather, Mary told Bernadette to do simple things: Pray, especially pray the Rosary, and to do penance for sinners.

Furthermore, the Virgin Mary requested that a chapel be built at the grotto so that people could come there in procession.

During the ninth apparition, on February 25, 1858. Mary instructed Bernadette to “go, drink at the spring and wash yourself there.” Bernadette, seeing no spring, instinctively dug with her hands in the muddy ground. Soon, clear water began to flow, and this spring has never ceased.

Over the last 168 years, millions of people each year have made pilgrimage to Lourdes, to the miraculous spring there, to wash in those waters, for it has become a place of countless miraculous healings. People who are sick and crippled and even dying have been miraculously healed there at Lourdes. Many more have received peace, consolation, strength, and renewal of faith.

In the Gospel today, we read the story of the wedding feast at Cana, when Jesus performed the miracle of changing water into wine. And notice, Mary was part of the story. Mary was paying attention to the needs of the wedding party. She detected that they had run out of wine and brought that need to Jesus. Mary then directs the servants of the wedding party to bring the jars of water to Jesus. “Do whatever he tells you.” And because they listened to Mary, they became witnesses of the miracle of Jesus and benefited from it.

When we listen to Mary, and does as she tells us, God works miracles. Lourdes is proof of that. Real miracles—miraculous healings—miraculous renewals of faith—occur every year at Lourdes. But not just Lourdes: those who take seriously Our Lady’s message—to pray the rosary and do penance for sinners—we see God doing amazing things all the time.

You don’t have to be Catholic to pray the rosary and you don’t have to be Catholic to do penance for sinners—penance like fasting, abstaining from meat or dessert or video games regularly. But if you do, I promise, you will begin to see God doing amazing things in your families and in your community. You will know peace and strength like you’ve never known.

May Lourdes continue to be a source of faith and healing for the Church, may it inspire us to turn to Mary as the heavenly helper God has made her for us. For Mary always helps us to follow Jesus more closely and to love Jesus more deeply for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Trusting in God’s mercy and in the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us bring our prayers before the Lord.

For the Church throughout the world: that she may continue to proclaim Christ boldly and lead many people to the waters of salvation.

For those who do not yet know Jesus or who have wandered away from Him: that Mary may gently lead them the healing waters of Christ.

For those who are sick, suffering, or discouraged, especially members of our school families: that through Mary’s intercession they may receive comfort, strength, and hope.

For all who have died, especially those who suffered greatly in this life: that they may now share in the joy of heaven.

Priest: Heavenly Father, you gave us the Blessed Virgin Mary as a loving mother and helper. Hear these prayers we offer with confidence, through Christ our Lord.

February 11 2022 - Our Lady of Lourdes - Why Lourdes?

 164 years ago today, the Virgin Mary began appearing to a poor peasant girl in a small village called Lourdes in France. The Virgin identified herself as the Immaculate Conception — an article of faith that had been proclaimed by the pope only four years earlier.

There was no way this 14-year-old peasant girl living in that isolated village could have known about that teaching. That was the first proof for the authenticity of the apparitions. Then came the miraculous cures from a mysterious fountain that had never been seen before.

Lourdes today is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the world. Thousands upon thousands come year-round to pray and wash in the healing waters. Hundreds more come for weeks at a time as volunteers, to help the sick who come in search of healing.

Crutches line the walls of the grotto, left behind by those who have been cured of physical ailments. Hundreds more have been cured psychologically and spiritually.

Why did God will that Lourdes become this internationally recognized place of miraculous healing? Perhaps to put a divine stamp of approval on the Church’s declaration of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Perhaps, also to show all of us the benefit of turning to Our Lady for healing. 

164 years ago, the world was already beginning to change due to technological advancements, advancements which come at mind-blowing rapidity today. Lourdes certainly reminds the changing world that God is greater than all the technological wonders, that He is the Lord of Creation. And that he does intervene in human history. He is still with us. He does not abandon the sick or forget the downtrodden. And to obtain the grace he desires for us, we must, in the words of Our Lady in the Gospel today, “do whatever he tells you.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Our Lady may help cleanse the Church of all evil and to bring sinners and unbelievers to God. 

That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of each human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death. 

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world.  

On this world day of prayer for the sick, we pray that those suffering from illness or chronic disease may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven. 

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

February 11 2020 - Our Lady of Lourdes - Countless Healing Miracles

During his earthly ministry, Jesus gained great popularity as a healer—he became known in the many towns and regions as a healer, he could perform miraculous healings. People brought their sick family members to him to be healed. St. Matthew tells us: “News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed--and He healed them.”

When Jesus began training the apostles to carry on his gospel and carry on his work of saving souls, he gave them the power to heal and sent them to many of the different towns to heal the sick.
After his resurrection, Peter and the Apostles continued to preach and heal the sick and up and down the centuries many of the saints also were given the gift of healing. St. Francis, St. Benedict, St. Patrick in Ireland, St. Andre up in Canada, Padre Pio.

Well, in the year 1858, Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, appeared to a young girl named Bernadette in southwestern France, in a little town called Lourdes that most people had never heard of before. At Lourdes, the Virgin Mary told Bernadette a number of things: Mary told Bernadette how God wants us to pray for the conversion of sinners and unbelievers by praying the Rosary and meditating on the events in the life of Christ. And of course, the young, mostly unschooled Bernadette had the job of convincing the Bishop to have a chapel built on that place where Mary appeared. And from that place a stream of water began to flow.

Today, more than 7 million people make a pilgrimage to this place to bathe in those waters. And just as Jesus and His saint performed many healing miracles, this place, this shrine of Lourdes, has become a place of countless healing miracles. People from all over the world over the last 160 years have traveled to Lourdes, the paralyzed, the demon possessed, the terminally ill, and they have been healed.

February 11 is the anniversary of Mary’s appearance at Lourdes, and it was also designated by the Pope as a day of prayer for healing. Christians around the world are to pray today for the sick.
Not everyone can travel to Lourdes, but everyone here can travel in their hearts to Mary, and ask Mary to bring healing for the sick, to ask holy Mary to bring faith for those who do not believe in God, and to ask Mary to help sinners to seek God’s mercy. Today we pray for miracles, knowing that God loves miracles, especially when it helps people to repent and believe in the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Our Lady may help cleanse the Church of all evil and to bring sinners and unbelievers to God.

That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of each human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world. 

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

Feb 11 2019 - Our Lady of Lourdes - Apparitions and Miraculous Healing

The first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the 14 year old girl named Bernadette Soubarou was on this day, February 11, in 1858.  Bernadette reported seeing a young woman dressed in white, with a rosary in her hand, and a yellow rose on each foot.

Many find the idea of a Marian Apparition strange.  But, one cannot deny the biblical evidence that Mary loved to visit people.  She lovingly visited her cousin Elizabeth to share her joy of new life. Mary attended the wedding at Cana. She went to see Jesus in Capernaum. She was there in Jerusalem during her son’s Passion, and approached him during His way of the cross. And she approached him on Calvary, and stood by him during his suffering.  She was with the apostles, in prayer, on Pentecost.

Tradition has it that Mary appeared to the Apostle St. James on his apostolic journey to Spain, even before her bodily assumption into heaven. In her many apparitions throughout the centuries her message is basically the same: be faithful to her son, pray and work for the conversion of sinners. In other words, the Blessed Mother repeats the message she first gave at the wedding at Cana, “do whatever he tells you.”

At Lourdes, the Virgin Mary told Bernadette to pray for the conversion of sinners by praying the Rosary and meditating on the salvific events in the life of Christ. And of course, to build a chapel.

Today, more than 7 million people make a pilgrimage to this place, every year.  Though Church authorities have only officially recognized about 70 miraculous cures at Lourdes, countless people have experienced healing in some way.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II, who had such a great devotion to Our Blessed Mother, designated the 11th Day of February as a World Day of Prayer for the Sick: “a special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one’s suffering for the good of the Church, and reminding us to see in our sick brother and sister the face of Christ who, by suffering, dying, and rising, achieved the salvation of mankind.”

We unite ourselves in a special way today with all those who turn to God for help in their afflictions, who seek his peace and healing.  May we be instruments of peace and healing for them, with Mary, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Our Lady may protect the Church from all evil, and aid us in the mission of the Gospel.

That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of each human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world.

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, who
intercedes for us from her place in heaven.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.