On February 11th this past week, we celebrated the apparition of Our Blessed Lady to St. Bernadette which took place on February 11th, 1858 (3 years following the dogmatic proclamation of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX) which gave birth to the devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. This devotion, like many other apparitions of our Blessed Mother, has become a powerful source of spiritual and corporal healing through the intercession of Mary. This is why we have established devotions to our Blessed Mother every Wednesday, at 7 pm in our parish so that our parishioners can partake of the glorious blessings and graces that Mary, our Mother is so willing to dispense. In times of difficulties—when sickness ravages on; when things are very rough; when darkness seems to engulf us and no light in sight; when pain and distress becomes overwhelming and the healing process goes slower than hoped; when treatment and therapy seem terrifying and feelings of alienation abound; when worn out and weary and our life is overrun by impatience and negativity; when loneliness adds to anxiety and discouragement and despondency set it; when the disaster of sickness attack our self-esteem; when anger and resentment assail and it becomes hard to rely on others for help and care; when the anguish of the soul is intensified by the need for reconciliation; when our sick conditions is mistaken for divine punishment; when loved ones are far away and sickness causes financial hardship that leads to worry and despair; when our friends draw back from us because they are fearful of disease; when hunted by our sick conditions leading to pessimism and cynicism; when hunted by regret and the shame of past sins; when no one seems to understand; when medication seems to make things worse; when it is hard to find strength to go on or the appetite to pray; when suffering becomes very hard to bear and death draws near—there is a place to go; to our Blessed Mother.
In the Gospel of John, we read of the wedding in Cana when they ran out of wine. It was our Lady who noticed the situation and brought the matter to her Son, Jesus. Christ’s response was, “what is this concern of yours to me?” Even though Christ did not initially think this situation warranted divine intervention, because mom made the request, He obliged. This is the power of a mother! Mary still holds that power in heaven. We lose out when we do not keep our Blessed Mother close to our affairs and homes. Remember it was because the groom invited our Lady to the wedding that brought about this miracle. Let us keep the Blessed Virgin Mary close to our needs, to our homes, to our relationships, to our situations. She is known to do something about it. Join us for communal intercessory rosary every Wednesday, 7:00pm in the Church. It is powerful, fruitful, and very spiritually fulfilling.
