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.