‘Thursday.’ At five o’clock in the morning Bernadette, with her aunts, was already at Massabielle. Despite the rainy weather hundreds of onlookers were present. She began to recite the rosary and soon fell into ecstasy. Suddenly she dropped the candle and rushed into the grotto where she bent and kissed the ground.
Then she retraced her steps, but abruptly, as if summoned, she ran back into the far left side of the grotto. She appeared to be looking for something. In Bernadette’s words “(the Lady) told me to go and cleanse myself in the spring. I saw none and went to the Gave. She replied that it wasn’t there, and pointed at a spot below the precipice.
“I found a bit of water which looked more like mud, but there was so little I could hardly get any into my hand. I started digging and so I got more. It was so salty that I had to spit it out three times.”
The crowd watching all of these movements, grew more and more puzzled. The anti-Bernadettes had no doubts: she was evidently crazy. Questioned later, she replied that she didn’t have the faintest idea why she had done what she did. She did what the Lady had asked of her and that was enough.
Another surprise awaited her that day. Against the mayor’s wishes, Commissioner Jacomet, who was afraid of things getting out of hand, had requested and obtained the intervention of the Imperial Procurator, M. Dutour. Bernadette was summoned to appear before him. M. Dutour exploiting every trick of his trade again made Bernadette contradict herself.
She later recounted, “I told him the whole story which he put down in writing. Then he read the statement aloud ... he had added things I’d never said. So I told him, ‘Sir, I never said such a thing’.” The questioning went on for four hours until M. Dutour, like Jacomet before him, was forced by the angry crowd outside to release Bernadette.
Ref: G Menotti, “Lourdes”, 9-10
Jesus cures a ruler’s son
Jesus Christ performed the first miracle to prove his divine mission for the sake of a suffering and well-known father in Galilee. “There was a certain ruler, whose son lay ill at Capernaum. Having heard that Jesus has come into Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.” (Jn 4:46-7)
‘Sorrow’ brought this ruler to Jesus and was the instrument of his salvation. He delayed going to Jesus. His hope of obtaining his son’s cure was due to a very imperfect faith. He did not believe that Jesus could cure from a distance [~100 kms away]. Jesus, therefore, reproved him: “Unless you see signs and wonders, you believe not.” (Jn 4:48)
The father humbly received this reproach. Still he reiterated his request with respectful confidence: “Lord, come down before my son dies.” His dispositions indicated a more perfect faith and earned the favor of Jesus. “'Go your way; your son lives.' The man believed the word that Jesus said to him, and went his way.” (Jn 4:49-50)
Jesus treats us as he did to this ruler. If he seems to deny what we ask or to delay granting it, he wants us to value it more or to give us an opportunity of practising patience, resignation, faith and confidence. We must never stop asking what we want. He will give it on time.
His servants met him and reported, “that his son lived, that yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him” (Jn 4:53). The hour Jesus said to him ‘Your son lives’. The father and his whole house believed.
Jesus granted a perfect cure to the child as he bestowed on his father and the whole household ‘the gift of faith’, final perseverance and eternal salvation.
Ref: cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp383-5
Prayer Detects God’s Presence in Our Souls
Prayer is so important that Jesus himself tells us: “Pray constantly.” (Lk 21:36) He wants us to pray to his Father, as he himself did. The Gospel tells us that Jesus prayed all night before choosing his Apostles (cf Lk 6:12). And later on, in his passion, at the height of his suffering, Christ “prayed with all the greater intensity” (Lk 22:44).
Jesus not only gave us the example of prayer, he actually ‘taught us how to pray’. One of the most beautiful scenes of the Gospel shows Jesus gathered with his disciples, teaching them to pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Jesus was showing his disciples the value of praising God: the importance of God’s name, his Kingdom and his Holy will.
At the same time Jesus was telling them -- “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive the wrong we have done as we forgive those who wrong us. Subject us not to the trial but deliver us from the evil one.” (cf Mt 6:9-13; Lk 11:2-4)
It is through prayer that Jesus leads us to his Father. It is in prayer that the Holy Spirit transforms our lives. It is in prayer that we come to know God: to detect his presence in our souls, to hear his voice speaking through our consciences, and to treasure his gift to us of personal responsibility for our lives and for our world.
It is through prayer that we can ‘clearly focus our attention on the person of Jesus Christ’ and see the total relevance of his teaching for our lives. We begin to see things his way.
Ref: cf Pope John Paul II, “Prayers and Devotions”, 1994, pp261-2
Arms with which to conquer temptations
If we are to overcome temptation we will have to repeat confidently over and over again the petition in the 'Our Father': 'and lead us not into temptation ...' Since it is our Lord himself who puts such a petition on our lips, it would be good for us to repeat it continually ...
We struggle against temptation by speaking openly about it to our spiritual director; making it thus known is almost overcoming it. He who reveals his own temptations to his spiritual director can be certain that God grants the spiritual director the grace needed to direct him well. (B Baur, "In Silence with God")
We can always count on God’s grace. But do not forget, my friend, you need weapons in this spiritual battle. And your weapons have to be: continuous prayer; sincerity and frankness with your spiritual director; the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance; a generous spirit of Christian mortification which will bring you to flee from the occasion of sin and to avoid idleness; humility of heart, and a tender and filial devotion to Our Lady, 'Comforter of the afflicted', 'Refuge of sinners'.
Always turn confidently to Our Lady and say: ‘My Mother, I trust in you.’ (Salvatore Canals, "Jesus as Friend", 72)
Ref: cf F Fernandez, op cit, 30
Our Lady of Great Power (Quebec, Canada, 1673) (http://www.divine will.org/feastofourlady.htm)
Mary, Queen of Peace -- Carmel of St Therese of the Child Jesus ‘Diamond Jubilee Calendar 2000’
Our Lady of Victory, at Constantinople. The city was delivered from the siege of the Saracens by the aid of the Blessed Virgin, in the year 621 — Fereolus Locrins. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; http://www.bethlehemobserver.com); (http://www.divine will.org/feastofourlady.htm)
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