Miracles at Lourdes never cease

The shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Lourdes, France is 154 years old this year.  In 1960, my father took us there. He was seeking a cure for a chronic ailment that was keeping him frail and listless.  Lourdes was a simple French hamlet that was quiet, bare and sober.  I remember missing the sound of civilization; for it had no TV and commercial radio, except for one local station that aired novena prayers.  At the grotto where the Virgin Mother appeared, canes and crutches were displayed on cable lines to mark the number of miracles that were attributed to Her intercession.  But when the number grew too large, the shrine removed them and cleared the grounds.

When we returned to Manila, my father was in high spirits and never got seriously sick again.  We believed that with his faith rekindled came inner peace.  This was our personal miracle that also freed my father from all prescription tablets and hospital confinements.  He continued to live a comfortable life, “with few regrets.”  To my family, Mama Mary’s persuasive nudging to her beloved Son was real.  Although I didn’t keep a special devotion to our Lady except the rosary, I asked her to hold my hand and keep her gentle presence in our family at all times. 

The original little chapel built in Lourdes in the underground crypt

?In 2009, I returned to Lourdes and saw the transformation:  Hotels sprouted like wild mushrooms together with restaurants and souvenir shops.  An underground basilica was added to the main basilica with additional bathhouses installed to accommodate visitors who came in droves.  Confessions were heard in different languages and there were some restful spots around the grotto filled with platane trees where one can sit and spend some quiet time in contemplation. 

On this particular visit, I joined a group of pilgrims in search of their own miracles as they opened their hearts to our Lady and her loving care.  One co-pilgrim experienced his spiritual healing in our midst:

Monching was a lukewarm Catholic who had stopped going to Mass and communion.  He wasn’t keen on joining this tour. “Puro simbahan lang yan (all church visits),” but he conceded to the pleadings of his wife, Bessie.  At every Mass, Monching prayed and sang along but stayed glued to the pew during communion.  My roommate and I took notice of this but we kept quiet.  Unknown to us, his sister-in-law, Ester, had approached our pilgrim chaplain Fr. Dave Concepcion to arrange for Monching to go to confession without his consent.  Monching was furious but relented and consequently made a good confession.  He experienced that feel-good sensation of having lifted all his offenses and thus ended his rift with God.  Monching however, continued to avoid receiving communion.  When our chaplain asked him why, he replied, “I feel that I am still not worthy because I have been remiss in my obligations as a Catholic for so many years.”  Father Dave remarked, “Monching, God is merciful and he never gives up on us.  He always takes the initiative, the first step, to bring us back home into his arms.” 

The Rosary Church in Lourdes with its mosaic façade

When we reached Lourdes, Fr. Dave announced,  “Tonight, our brother Monching will be the first to receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass; I want all of you to raise your hands and pray over him.”  As we prayed over Monching, I thought, “Monching is not very far from where many of us are.” 

A church hymn came to mind,  “When you are lost and you feel yourself falling, fall on Jesus.”  I felt my eyes sting as tears began to swell but not wanting to embarrass myself, I held them back.  When I looked around, the rest of my group was already crying.  A warm presence filled the room and I swear, we felt this loving and tender aura.  After the Mass, we embraced each other, grateful for this new-found bonding.  Mama Mary must have whispered to her Son again so that the Holy Spirit worked an extra shift for us that night.

After Lourdes, we traveled to Nevers located in the rural part of Burgundy, France, to the Convent of Saint Gildard.  The church superiors thought it best to remove the young visionary, Bernadette Soubirous, from Lourdes because of the influx of devotees who wanted to meet her in person.  In the convent, Bernadette learned to read and write. This is where she eventually took her religious vows and where she lived the rest of her life.  Her incorrupt body can be viewed in a chapel as well as a replica of the grotto. 

 In the garden filled with peony blossoms, a marble statue of the Virgin Mary caught my eye.  It is said that Bernadette prayed and meditated in front of this statue more than in the main church. 

Why? “She (the statue) reminds me of the beautiful, serene Lady who appeared to me in Lourdes,” Bernadette said.

The marble statue of the Virgin Mary in Nevers

?I pulled my camera and clicked several times at the statue but the level of my aim-and-shoot aptitude was deplorably low.  What else could I do?

?I’ll keep faith that our lovely Lady will continue to hold my hand. 

* * *

Visit www.lourdes-france.org.  Click on “intentions” and leave a petition or a message to our Lady and it is instantly brought to the Grotto.  “Whatever help you need, our Lady will give at the right time, in the way that is best for you,” wrote Ana Nimus, a Marian devotee. 

The Reyes sisters, Ester, Belinda, Becca, Bella and Bessie, are flanked by Jun Tagud and Monching Tojos