February 11 | Our Lady of Lourdes

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories.

Today, pretend it's February 11th, 1858. We are in the countryside of France. The air is biting cold. You are standing in a place called Massabielle. It's rugged. It's rocky. It's quiet. Standing there is a young girl. She isn't a princess. She isn't a scholar. She isn't famous. At least, not yet. Her name is Bernadette. She is a 14-year-old peasant girl.

She is at a grotto, a small cave-like opening in the rock face. And suddenly, in this damp, gray place, something impossible happens. The gloomy atmosphere is shattered by a light. Bernadette looks up, and there, standing in the grotto, is a woman. But this isn't just any woman. The lady is wearing a brilliant white dress with a blue sash. She is holding rosary beads, and in a detail that is so specific and beautiful, she has a rose on each foot. Can you imagine the shock?

This moment, right here, is the beginning of one of the most famous events in history. The story of Our Lady of Lourdes. If you think this was just a fleeting moment, think again. This was the start of a series of encounters that would shake the world. There were 18 apparitions in total. They started on that cold day in February, and continued all the way until July 16th of that same year. For months, Bernadette returned to that rock, and the Lady revealed things to her.

In one of these incredible moments, the Lady finally introduced herself. She didn't use a normal name. She said, I am the Immaculate Conception. Now, to give you some context, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception had been defined by the Church only four years earlier in 1854. For a simple peasant girl to hear this title from the Lady in the Grotto was a massive confirmation of that teaching. But the lady didn't just talk. She gave instructions. She told Bernadette to drink from the fountain, and because of that instruction, the water from the site became famous around the globe.

People began to flock to Massabielle, and they haven't stopped coming. Millions of pilgrims have traveled to this specific spot in France. And why do they come? Well, thousands of these visitors have reported that their medical conditions and spiritual maladies, which mean sicknesses of the soul, were healed after visiting. They claim these miracles are a result of their visit and the miraculous properties of the water from that fountain.

It took some time for the church to officially confirm the miraculous apparitions. The local bishop conducted an inquiry that lasted four years, but eventually he approved the apparitions. By 1907, Pope Pius X added this feast to the liturgical calendar, and just three years after the apparitions were approved, a basilica was built right there upon the Rock of Massabielle.

Today, we celebrate this event as the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. These apparitions, this title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the patron saint of bodily ills, sick people, and protection from diseases, specifically of asthmatics. Geographically, her influence reaches far beyond that French grotto. She is, of course, the patron of Lourdes, France. But did you know she is also the patron of South Korea? And for listeners in the United She is the patron saint of Tennessee. It is amazing to think that a 14-year-old girl's experience in a cave in 1858 led to a global movement of healing that connects France to Korea to Tennessee.

So, here is the big question. We are not in a grotto in 1858. We are here, today. What can we do with this story? Bernadette was just a teenager. She wasn't powerful or wealthy, but she was open to the spiritual world, and she listened. The lady told Bernadette to drink from the fountain, and that water brought healing to thousands. While we can't all fly to France today, we can focus on the idea of healing. This week, identify a malady in your life, or the life of someone you love.

It might be a physical sickness, like the ones the pilgrims carry to Lourdes. Or, it might be what the texts call a spiritual malady. Maybe a grudge you're holding, stress about work or school, or a feeling of loneliness.

Take a moment to pray for healing for that specific thing. Just as the pilgrims trust in the miraculous properties of the water and the intercession of Mary, you can entrust that problem to God. You don't need to be in a basilica to ask for help. You just need the faith of a 14-year-old peasant girl. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.