Happy Feast of St. Bernadette

Today is the Feast of St. Bernadette Soubirous. My daughter drew this picture of St. Bernadette with a Rosary around her. I recall when I was a child my mom first mentioned St. Bernadette as she was talking about her Confirmation. Saint Bernadette was the patron saint she chose. Later I would learn more about St. Bernadette. She exemplified many virtues that we as parents would love to cultivate in our children. St. Bernadette had a faith that sustained her through many challenges during the early days of the apparitions in Lourdes. She was humble and obedient. When Our Lady told her to dig in the soil, she did it despite ridicule. Through her obedience, faith and humility she was able to be the extended hands of Our Blessed Mother. By pulling up the earth with her simple hands, she allowed a channel for the healing waters of Lourdes to flow.  If St. Bernadette had lacked those virtues and had not obeyed Our Lady, might we not have the waters of Lourdes?

It seems that Our Lord and Our Lady desire an instrument or said differently They wish to work through the hands of others. While God could do all things Himself He choses a different path. Who does He choose to work through? Most often it seems it is the simple and humble. Where does He find simplicity and humility most frequently? It would seem it is in children who He made a point of calling to Himself during his ministry on earth. 

There is one other piece of the life of St. Bernadette and the town of Lourdes that is fascinating. In Europe at the time of the apparitions, prayer of the Rosary had fallen out of common practice. The village of Lourdes was different. The devotion was still very much alive and was being practiced by many both young and old. The village also had a strong devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. There are reports that many individuals in the town prayed an additional decade of the Rosary without a mystery for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. There are many statues in Lourdes today that depict Our Lady holding a Rosary with  6 decades.  Might this devotion to the Rosary and also the kindness the individuals showed to the Holy Souls in Purgatory have brought the favor of Our Lord and His Mother to this tiny place in France? While we may never know all the reasons Lourdes and in particular St. Bernadette where chosen to receive such favor one can look to St. Bernadette as an example of holiness and also as a powerful intercessor for ourselves and our children.

As many may be contemplating how to enrich their journey through Lent may I humbly suggest incorporating the Rosary and also praying a decade daily of the Rosary for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. In the coming days we will be sharing more ideas for Lent both for ones private journey, that of the family and also for Children's Rosary groups.

St. Bernadette Pray for Us!

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Find out ways to become involved and help the Children's Rosary

How to Start a Children's Rosary

Children in Scripture

Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.

For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org