Monday is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes

Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes – 11th February

Catholicism Pure & Simple

Our Lady’s apparition to St. Bernadette at Lourdes

Re-blogged from: A Catholic Land.  http://www.acatholicland.org/
The Apparitions of The Blessed Virgin to Bernadette at Lourdes.

Lourdes 1858.
At Lourdes, on the feast of the Annunciation [March 25th] the Blessed Virgin acknowledged explicitly the Church declaration of 1854 that had, at last, proclaimed Her Immaculate Conception to be an article of Faith. This unprecedented happening reveals Its great significance. That She so explicitly acknowledged the declaration reveals how important the understanding of the Immaculate Conception is; that She is pure; without sin, as befits the Mother of God, that She is all powerful in defeating the evil ones, She is the Woman of the Book of Revelation, She is the Woman of Genesis.

The Immaculate Conception

The eighteen apparitions at Lourdes saw the Blessed Virgin revealing Herself as our Advocate and Mediator, She explicitly revealed, during the first apparition, when the seer; Bernadette, said the Rosary, how our prayers are heard through Hers:
“The Lady, now holding her own rosary in her joined hands, turned towards Bernadette, and
made the Sign of the Cross in a manner so reverent and dignified that the beholder strove to
reproduce it all the days of her life. Then,without moving her lips, she passed the beads
through her fingers one by one as the little girl, who had sunk to her knees, recited the prayers.” 
The apparitions saw the Blessed Virgin voicing Her concerns for Her children, She who sees the punishments that await sinners. During the sixth apparition, February 21st, Bernadette asked Her what made Her sad, the Blessed Virgin replied:”Pray for sinners.” She called on people to repent, saying “repentance, repentance, repentance.” During the February 27th apparition She spoke of penance, asking Bernadette to do penance for herself first and then for others.
In the second apparition, the Blessed Virgin had also drawn our attention to the next life and to Her powerful role; remember that for those who embrace Her and who are devoted to Her, She is our Mother in this life and the next; She said to Bernadette: “I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the other.” The Blessed Virgin also performed a public miracle at Lourdes. On 25th February, the ninth apparition, She pointed to a piece of ground; Bernadette scratched away at the surface and a spring of water rose steadily from the spot. Twenty seven gallons of water have gushed forth from the spring every day since, and from which comes the wondrous healing waters of Lourdes. The final apparition (the eighteenth apparition) took place on July16th, feast of Our Lady of Carmel: As Lane points out: “The people of Lourdes have always cherished a special devotion to this feast. Perhaps that is why Our Lady chose it for Her final visit.”
Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us.