She was on a mission for her mother. The little girl from the
little village of Lourdes was sent by her mother to gather wood for the fire.
It was cold in their home. It was cold in the converted jail cell that was the
family home in the little village in France. And Bernadette was sent by her
mother to gather wood for the fire. Sent by her mother on earth, in a grotto
near a stream, Bernadette met the Mother of God. On the 11th of
February in 1858, the little girl from Lourdes met Our Lady of Lourdes.
The little Bernadette seems to be an unusual choice for such
a great honor. She was from a very poor family. She was not a good student on
those rare occasions when she was able to go to school. She was often very sick
with asthma. And in her own opinion, Bernadette was useless. But in the eyes of
Mary, she was precious. She was valued. She was loved. And to the little
Bernadette, Mary entrusted her message to world.
It was a message of conversion. It was invitation to prayer
and to penance for sinners. It was an announcement of healing for the sick in
soul and the sick in body. Our Lady of Lourdes entrusted to the little girl
from Lourdes the message of mercy and abundant healing love that is at the
heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mary shares the good news with Bernadette
so that Bernadette might share the good news.
And the humble little girl from the little village of Lourdes
joins with all the holy women whose praises are sung in the scriptures. She
joins in the laughter of Sarah and the prayer of Hannah. She joins in the
joyful proclamation of Elizabeth and the apostolic announcement of Mary
Magdalene that “The Lord is risen and he will meet you in Galilee.” In the
humble voice of Bernadette, there is an echo of the voice of the Mother of God
who says “Let it be done unto me according to thy word,” and “Son, they have no
wine.” This little girl from Lourdes, in whom the world saw no promise, announced
the promises of heaven to the people of the world.
We came here today at the invitation of our Mother, the
Church. We have come to gather wood for the fire of faith and hope and love
that burns in our souls. That fire that was set when Christ claimed us through
the washing of water and the Holy Spirit is sustained and strengthened and
burns ever brighter when we draw close to the altar of God. We may not be
important in the eyes of the world. We might not be good students. We might be
weakened by illness in soul or illness in body. The world may not see our
value, but we are precious in the eyes of Mary. We are valued. We are loved.
Like the little child from Lourdes in France, the children of God from Lourdes
in Monroe have come here to meet the Mother of God. And she will bring us to
her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with Father and the Holy
Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
