Marian Solidarity

Mary, you showed yourself to Bernadette in the crevice of the rock. In the cold and grey of winter, you brought the warmth, light and beauty of your presence,

In the often obscure depths of our lives, in the depth of the world where evil is so powerful, bring hope, return our confidence!

You are the Immaculate Conception, come to our aid, sinners that we are. Give us the humility to have a change of heart, the courage to do penance. Teach us to pray for all people.

Guide us to the source of true life. Make us pilgrims going forward with your Church, whet our appetite for the Eucharist, the bread for the journey, the bread of life.

The Spirit brought about wonders in you, O Mary: by his power, he has placed you near the Father, in the glory of your eternal Son. Look with kindness on our miserable bodies and hearts. Shine forth for us, like a gentle light, at the hour of our death.

Together with Bernadette, we pray to you, O Mary, as your poor children. May we enter, like her, into the spirit of the Beatitudes. Then, we will be able, here below, begin to know the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven and sing together with you: Magnificat!

Glory to you, Virgin Mary, blessed servant of the Lord, Mother of God, dwelling place of the Holy Spirit!

Amen.

The Marian shrine of Lourdes centers around the famous grotto of Massabielle, at the Pyrenees foothills of France.

Our Lady appeared to the little girl Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. The visionary was a peasant who had only an elementary school education.

On the day of her first apparition she went to the grotto to look for firewood for cooking and heating. Bernadette was the eldest child in the family.

After her companions had finished picking wood under the grotto, she heard a great noise, prompting her to look around. But nothing was moving. The noise came again, and she noticed a rosebush at one of the rock openings.

“Almost at the same time there came out of the interior of the grotto a golden-colored cloud, and soon after a Lady, young and beautiful, exceedingly beautiful, the like of whom I have never seen,” she said, as recorded by a minor government official.

The Lady motioned to Bernadette to approach her. Fear left the little girl, and she rubbed her eyes, shut them and reopened them. The Lady continued to smile, making her understand that the vision was real.

“Without thinking of what I was doing I took out my rosary in my hands and went on my knees,” continued the peasant girl. “The Lady made a sign of approval with her head and herself took into her hands a rosary which hung on her left arm.”

The Lady said nothing as Bernadette prayed the rosary. She just passed the beads of the rosary between her fingers. She only said the Gloria at the end of each decade.

Bernadette returned home and cried during family prayer. Her mother asked her what was the matter, so the girl had to tell her what happened. The mother did not believe the story and forbade her from going back to the grotto. Due to much persistence, Bernadette was allowed to return.

The visionary described what she saw as follows:

“She has the appearance of a young girl of sixteen or seventeen. She is dressed in a white robe, girdled at the waist with a blue ribbon which flows down all around it. A yoke closes it in graceful pleats at the base of the neck; the sleeves are long and tight-fitting. She wears upon her head a veil which is also white; this veil gives just a glimpse of her hair and then falls down at the back below her waist. Her feet are bare but covered by the last folds of her robe except at the point where a yellow rose shines upon each of them. She holds on her right arm a rosary of white beads with a chain of gold shining like two roses on her feet.”

 During the sixth apparition, the Lady told Bernadette, “Pray for sinners.” On the eight, she said, “Penitence, Penitence, Penitence.”

The following day, the apparition told the peasant girl, “Drink from the fountain and bathe in it.” This confused Bernadette, for she had not seen any fountain or spring in the grotto area. She got on her knees and scratched the loose gravel on the area where she stood.

Then she noticed that the ground was moist. A small pool formed. Then came bubbles. She scooped water with her hands and drank. Then she washed her face. The following day water overflowed down the rocks. Then the trickle became a full stream.

The Lady gave more orders. One was for her to kiss the ground on behalf of sinners. On the eleventh apparition, she told Bernadette to tell the clergy to build a chapel on the site. Then the Lady said that the people should come to the chapel in procession.

Bernadette relayed the message to the parish priest, who was skeptical of the apparitions. He told her that he didn’t deal with mysterious strangers. If she wanted a chapel she had to reveal her identity.

The Lady did reveal who she was: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” The title was significant because Pope Pius IX had declared Mary’s immaculate conception a dogma of faith only 4 years before.

Today the stream of water flowing in Lourdes has become a source of healings. The sick come to bathe in its waters, and some of these acts of faith result in documented cures. The chapel has become a large shrine, probably the most famous Marian shrine in the world.

9th Day -  The Assumption and Coronation of Mary in Heaven

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen

Revelation 12:1

Now a great sign appeared in heaven:  a woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

As Mary was linked to the Passion of her Son, so also is she linked to His Resurrection.  Let us not look among the dead for her who is living.  She has entered into the Kingdom.

Every person is called to enter into the Kingdom.  On the Last Day, it is on love that we will be judged whatever our religion may have been.  This is why we shall pray for relations between religious.  That each of them may inspire love in those who follow them, and that agreement and never war may reign.

Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of  which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.

8th Day -  Pentecost

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen

Acts 2: 1-4

When Pentecost day came around, they had all met together, when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves.

The Holy Spirit descends on the Apostles.  It is the birth of the Church.  Mary is present.  Perhaps she is not in the centre as depicted in the mosaic of the Rosary Basilica.  She is there nonetheless, and She whom Jesus gave as Mother to his beloved disciple does not abandon the Church throughout its difficult growth over the centuries.

A mother does not like to see her children in dispute.  The Holy Spirit enabled the Apostles to proclaim the “wonders of God” in different languages on Pentecost day – different languages, but the same word.  We shall offer this decade of the Rosary for the unity of Christians.

Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of  which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.

7th Day –  Mary at the foot of the Cross

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen

John 19: 25-37

 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.  Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, this is your son.”  Then to the disciple he said, “This is your mother.”  And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.  After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed and, so that the scripture should be completely fulfilled, he said:  I am thirsty.  A jar full of sour wine stood there; so, putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a hyssop stick, they held it up to his mouth.  After Jesus had taken the wine he said, “It is fulfilled”; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.  It was the Day of Preparation, and to avoid the bodies’ remaining on the cross during the Sabbath-since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity-the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away.  Consequently, the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other.  When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.  This is the evidence of one who saw it-true evidence, and he knows that what he says is true-and he gives it so that you may believe as well.  Because all this happened to fulfill the words of scripture:  Not one bone of his will be broken; and again, in another place scripture says:  They will look to the one whom they have pierced.

On the eve of His Passion, Jesus instituted the Eucharist and asked His Apostles to “do this in memory” of Him.  Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we are “proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians: 11,26).  Because He is risen, we can today receive in Communion, His body given up, and His blood poured out.

Pope John Paul II referred to Mary as the “Eucharistic woman”.  Simeon had told her that her soul would be pierced by a sword.  This prophesy is realized when the soldier’s sword pierces the side of her Son:  “and immediately there came out blood and water”.

We shall offer this decade of the Rosary so that Christians may be nourished with the Eucharist, and learn the meaning of a Eucharistic life, following Christ, His mother, and Bernadette.

Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of  which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.

6th Day –  The Wedding at Cana

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen

John 2: 1-11

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee.  The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited.  And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him. “They have no wine.”  Jesus said, “Woman, what do you want from me?  My hour has not come yet.”  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.  There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons.  Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim.  Then he said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the president of the feast.”  They did this; the president tasted the water, and it had turned into wine.  Having no idea where it came from – though the servants who had drawn the water knew – the president of the feast called the bridegroom and said, “Everyone serves good wine first and the worse wine when the guests are well wined; but you have kept the best wine till now.”  This was the first of Jesus’ signs:  it was at Cana in Galilee.  He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

Mary sees the shame of this family lacking in foresight.  In Lourdes Mary sees the expectations of pilgrims, and pilgrims have confidence in her maternal love.

Mary does not perform miracles.  It is her Son who will release the wine of the New Covenant:  Cana is the precursor of the Last Supper and the Cross.  Mary, however, plays a decisive role in saying to the servant:  “Do whatever He tells you”.  She is well placed to give this order, she who said to the Angel “Let it happen to me as you have said”.

We shall offer this decade of the Rosary for all those young people who are looking for a way in life.  Mary says to them, pointing to her Son:  “Do whatever He tells you.”

Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of  which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.