Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
THURSDAY, February 11th Mk. 7:24-30 FEAST OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES
Part 1: Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Bernadette, and the Immaculate Conception…
Part 2: Mary and the Miraculous Medal aka Medal of the Immaculate Conception by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
PART 1: Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Bernadette, and the Immaculate Conception…
1. Lourdes and Saint Bernadette Soubirous… Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Our Lady appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a humble girl brought up in abject poverty by loving parents devoted to daily recitation of the Rosary. The story of Our Lady’s appearances and the miraculous healing waters of Lourdes are well known.
2. Less well known is that on March 25, 1858, Our Lady finally revealed her name to Bernadette, then repeated her prior request made on March 2: “I am the Immaculate Conception. I want a chapel built here.” Bernadette had no idea what this name meant. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception had only been declared a little over four years earlier on December 8, 1853. This was to authenticate the visions for church authorities. After her death, Bernadette’s body was found to be incorrupt.
3. Saint Bernadette Quotes:
“Everything is nothing to me, but Jesus: neither things nor persons, neither ideas nor emotions, neither honor nor sufferings. Jesus is for me honor, delight, heart and soul.”
“I must die to myself continually and accept trials without complaining. I work, I suffer and I love with no other witness than His heart. Anyone who is not prepared to suffer all for the Beloved and to do His will in all things is not worthy of the sweet name of Friend, for here below, Love without suffering does not exist.”
“When my emotions are too strong, I remember the words of Our Lord: ‘It is I, don’t be afraid!’ Immediately I appreciate and thank Our Lord for this grace of rejections and humiliations from my Superior and Sisters. It is the love of this Good Master who would remove the roots from this tree of pride. The more little I become, the more I grow in the Heart of Jesus.”
“O Jesus and Mary, let my entire consolation in this world be to love you and to suffer for sinners.”
“My weapons, I decided, would be prayer and sacrifice, which I would hold onto till my last breath. Then only would the weapon of sacrifice fall from my hand, but the weapon of prayer would follow me to Heaven.”
PART 2: Mary and the Miraculous Medal aka the Medal of the Immaculate Conception by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
Saint Catherine Laboure was the privileged seer of the Blessed Virgin Mary—the most pure and Immaculate Mother of God. Beginning in 1830, not only did this humble French Sister see our Lady, talk to Our Lady, and confide in Our Lady, but Our Lady entrusted her with a very special message: The Miraculous Medal, also known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception.
THE MISSION OF SAINT CATHERINE. After many years of silence, the humble and obedient nun revealed to her Spiritual Director and Religious Superior that the Blessed Virgin Mary had a great desire, and this was to fabricate a very special medal and then make the medal known, so that as many as possible would wear the medal as a concrete, exterior sign of their love for Mary, devotion to Mary, and confidence in her maternal presence. With time, effort, and suffering finally the medal was approved for use and could be worn publicly.
KOLBE: THE MILITIA OF THE IMMACULATA. Following upon the humble obedience of Saint Catherine Laboure and approval of the Apparitions of Our Lady and the Miraculous Medal, another saint came on the scene: Saint Maximilian Kolbe. Enamored with a burning love for Mary under the title of the Immaculata, Kolbe formed a group called The Militia of the Immaculata. There were two primary purposes for this Marian group: 1) To spread far and wide a burning love for the Immaculata; and 2) to be fiery Apostles of Mary fighting with her to spread the Kingdom of God by working for the salvation of souls. Kolbe would eventually be arrested by the Nazis and placed in a concentration camp. When a prisoner escaped from the camp, the penalty inflicted was for ten random prisoners to be put to death. Kolbe heroically offered his life for a married man with a family who had been chosen. Thereby Kolbe was sentenced to the death penalty in Auschwitz, to die the cruel death of starvation. Despite his weak health, Kolbe outlived his other companions in the death bunker. He encouraged them, prayed with them, prayed for them, and helped them to surrender their lives to the Immaculata as he watched them die. In the end, they injected carbolic acid in Kolbe’s veins and he died as a martyr of charity, giving his life for a married man with a family.
A PRACTICE OF KOLBE THAT WE CAN IMITATE. Saint Maximilian Kolbe could not keep his love for The Immaculata to himself; love seeks to bring others to the beloved! Kolbe would carry on his person many Miraculous Medals. He called these his Spiritual bullets—ammunition to hold back the enemy, the devil. When Kolbe met up with somebody whom he felt inspired to approach and evangelize, he would offer that person the Miraculous Medal as a free gift, under the condition that the recipient would honor Mary by wearing it. Great miracles have been attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary through the wearing of the Miraculous Medal, among the most renowned are the conversions of Alphonsus Ratisbonne and Claude Newman. These are two stories of conversion that are simply astounding! Look up their stories!
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO IMITATE KOLBE AND THE SAINTS. If indeed you have a fervent love for Mary, the Mother of God and your Mother, then not only should you want to talk to her with total confidence like Saint Catherine Laboure, that is like a child talking to her mother, but you should also have a desire to make Our Lady known and loved.
MIRACULOUS MEDALS: THE SPIRITUAL BULLETS TO CONQUER THE ENEMY. Why not purchase a batch of Miraculous Medals—start with 100 or more. Have them blessed by a priest. Then carry these medals with you wherever you go. Be open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. When you encounter some person that you think Our Lady wants you to talk to in her name, have the courage to open up your purse or pocket and freely give the Miraculous Medal to that person. Time permitting, upon giving the Miraculous Medal, give this blessed recipient an explanation of who it is on the medal, who was the first recipient of the medal, and most important, the whole meaning of the medal. It must be said that the medal, both front and back, is one of the best tools of Marian catechesis that you can possibly use. Explain patiently each one of the artistic details as related to the Blessed Virgin Mary and her role in the Economy of Salvation. Encourage the person to wear the Medal proudly as a sign of their consecration to Mary, and as a reminder that the Blessed Virgin Mary is our loving and tender Mother always ready to protect us, defend us, console us, and comfort us in our afflictions.
A SPECIAL PRAYER TO HONOR OUR LADY AND THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL. Inscribed on the front side of the Medal is a short prayer that Our Lady wants us to memorize and to pray often: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” This prayer said frequently with faith and devotion is a powerful weapon against the attacks of the enemy. Therefore, our hope is that you will become a fiery Apostle of the Blessed Virgin Mary by wearing the Miraculous Medal, purchasing your 100 medals (for a start), studying the message, and being courageous enough to distribute and when possible explain the Miraculous Medals as Mary’s spiritual bullets to conquer the enemy of our salvation.
Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
