Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today, we join the universal Church in celebrating Our
Lady of Lourdes, a sign from Heaven, manifesting God’s healing and mercy. In
1858, in the small town of Lourdes, France, the Blessed Virgin appeared to a
simple girl of 14, St. Bernadette Soubirous, and invited the world to return to prayer,
penance, and trust in God’s mercy. The miraculous waters of Lourdes continue to
remind us that true healing is not just physical, but above all, spiritual, a
healing of the heart that draws us closer to Christ.
As we meditate on Mark 7:1-13, we see how Jesus
challenges the religious leaders who have turned human traditions into barriers
rather than bridges to God. The Pharisees were concerned with external rituals,
like washing hands before eating, but Jesus reminded them that what truly
matters is the purity of the heart. The truth of the matter is that they had
replaced God’s commandments with human traditions. Jesus rebuked them, by quoting
Prophet Isaiah saying:
“This people honors me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from me.” (Mark 7:6)
Their worship had become a matter of external
observance rather than internal transformation. Their lips spoke of God, but
their hearts were distant. Their religious devotion had become mechanical, an
outward show, instead of a heartfelt relationship with the Living God.
The Revelation: God Desires
Our Hearts
Jesus did not reject traditions themselves, but He
denounced the distortion of religion, when traditions take the place of an
authentic relationship with God. He made it clear: God is not impressed by
rituals performed without love, obedience, and sincerity.
This passage, brothers and sisters, speaks directly to
us today. Just as the Pharisees became trapped in the externals of religion
without true faith, we too can fall into the danger of routine without
devotion, prayer without trust, and worship without love.
But Our Lady of Lourdes offers us a different path.
When she appeared to St. Bernadette, she did not speak of elaborate rituals or
man-made traditions. Instead, she gave a simple message: Repent. Pray.
Seek the mercy of God. The fact that the apparition happened during
Lent season speaks volume of how Mother Mary’s message is an actualization of
the Gospel of her Son.
At Lourdes, she invites us to a renewed purity of
heart, a return to authentic faith, and a trust in God’s healing love. The
miraculous waters of Lourdes are not magic, they are a sign of the cleansing
that Christ wants to do in our souls.
The Healing We Need: Returning
to the Heart of Worship
Brothers and sisters, today Jesus asks us:
- Are we honoring God
with our lips while keeping our hearts far from Him?
- Are we clinging to
religious habits while forgetting the heart of the Gospel, love, mercy,
and faith?
- Do we seek healing
only in body, or do we also desire a renewal of heart and soul?
In many ways, our Christian journey can resemble that of the
Pharisees. We may go to church, say our prayers, and follow religious customs,
yet our hearts can remain distant from God. Jesus is calling us to true worship, not just with our lips, but with our hearts
and lives.
True worship is more than rituals, songs, or church attendance. It
is about loving God with all our
heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). It is about
caring for the poor, forgiving others, seeking justice, and living humbly
before God.
Like St. Bernadette, let us approach God with childlike
trust. Let us ask the Blessed Mother to lead us to her Son, who alone
can make us truly pure, not just in appearance, but in the depths of our
hearts.
On this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, may we hear her
call:
“Return to God, seek Him with a sincere heart, and allow His love to heal
and transform you.”
A Prayer to Our Lady of
Lourdes
"O Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, teach us to seek
purity of heart over external show. Lead us to your Son, who alone can heal our
wounds and make us whole. May we, like St. Bernadette, live in simplicity,
humility, and deep trust in God’s mercy. Amen."
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!🙏🙏🙏
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