Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time / Our Lady of Lourdes
Gospel: Mk 7:14-23
Imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary and Possess a Pure Heart

Today, the Church celebrates the optional memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. We know that from February 11, 1858, to July 16, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to Bernadette, who was then only 14 years old, in Lourdes. During her last apparition to Bernadette, the Blessed Virgin identified herself as the Immaculate Conception. On January 18, 1862, the local bishop of Lourdes, Bertrand-Sévère Laurence of Tarbes, acknowledged the authenticity of the Marian apparitions in the locality. On February 1, 1876, Pope Pius IX issued a decree crowning the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. Cardinal Pier Francesco Meglia performed the crowning ceremony for the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes on July 3, 1876, at what is now the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (Rosary Basilica). In 1933, Pope Pius XI canonized Bernadette.

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus redefines for us what is clean and unclean. He tells us, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of a person, come forth evil thoughts…” (cf. Mk 7:18, 20-21). This differs from the prevailing thoughts of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and mainstream Jewish society at that time, as they adhered to the Law of Moses and the Torah (cf. Lev 11-16). Just like them, we often follow the guidance of the flesh and yearn for worldly matters, causing us to remain trapped in the snares set by the devil. Therefore, it is necessary for us to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary, for she solely pursued the things of God and sought to better assist the Savior in fulfilling His redemptive work.

I would like to say that the Marian apparitions in Lourdes still have a profound impact on us to this day. The 18 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in Lourdes are the best proof of the Blessed Virgin’s participation in the redemptive mission of our Savior Jesus Christ. Her heart is forever pure. Saint Bernadette, with her simplicity and faithfulness to the Blessed Virgin, under the illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit, constantly meditated on and discerned the inspirations from the Blessed Virgin, thus setting an example for us. Now, let us join Saint Bernadette and countless brothers and sisters in Christ who have made pilgrimages to Lourdes in prayer:

Grant us, O merciful God, protection in our weakness, that we, who keep the Memorial of the Immaculate Mother of God, may, with the help of her intercession, rise up from our iniquities. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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