Dirt, Water, and Bernadette

February 11th is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. I have a special devotion to our Lady of Lourdes because I chose Bernadette as my confirmation name and named one of my daughters after her.

If you are Catholic, you have to believe in the crazy, supernatural.

In 1858, Our Blessed Mother appeared 14 times to St. Bernadette who was a poor and poorly educated girl. She appeared to Bernadette in a dump. The 'Grotto of Massabielle' was a place were soiled linens were burned from the hospital. Bernadette prayed with our Mother and obeyed her command when she told her to dig in the dirt. Bernadette was laughed at and left. Shortly after, a well sprung up. A woman's hand was instantly cured.

There have been more than 7000 documented healings from this water. Many scientifically studied and can provide no explanation. Many more undocumented healings have occurred physically and spiritually because of this water.

Build me a Church and Let Processions Be Made to the Grotto

Our Lady asked Bernadette to inform the priest she wanted a Church to be built on that spot. Wow! What a church that was built! I've never been to Lourdes and would love to go this side of Heaven. This beautiful Church was built on top of a dump. Let that sink in. God takes the ugly, filthy, trash of our humanity and makes it magnificent.

Dirt and Water, Ordinary Miracles

Our Lord uses the simple things of this Earth to bring about his glory. Dirt and water are ordinary, everywhere, once again he uses the ordinary to bring about the extraordinary. The older I get the more I see the unseen, supernatural, the celestial. I love reading the lives of the mystics and contemplatives. Many people have a hard time with Christianity, Catholicism in particular. They claim it is a 'man-made' religion. Yes, it is full of men, corrupt men, sinful men, men who make terrible mistakes, men who think they have the answers. But men can't cure people with dirt and water. Men can't make lovely ladies appear in the sky. Skeptics can say it's a delusional person who sees things. How is it that for centuries and in different cultures a Lady appears to usually the most lowly of persons? In Guadalupe, in France, in Ireland, in Wisconsin, Paris, Belguim, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bloomington, IN, Argentina, Sweden, Japan, Germany, Poland, Italy, New Mexico, Spain, Domincan Republic, Lithuania, New Orleans, Georgia, etc. Sometimes this Lady leaves behind sweet scents for us to smell.

Not just appearances of Our Blessed Mother, but other supernatural occurrences like every Mass turning the bread and wine into his body and blood. I can write another blog on Eucharistic Miracles. Throughout the centuries (remember the Catholic Church has been around for 2000 years) there has been occurrences of the bread (hosts) bleeding, suspended in air, turning into flesh, spontaneous healings, etc (google eucharistic miracles for more info).

What about the miracles of the Mystics? Catholic Mystics have been known to bi-locate (be two places at once), have a gift of prophecy, levitate (fly) in the air, dream visions that come true, have dead bodies that don't corrupt, have visions of hell, I could go on and on.

The Catholic Church is smart and very skeptical. Much research is gone into declaring something supernatural. Scientific study and theological study have to be thoroughly investigated before something is officially declared a 'miracle'.

Man-Made VS God-Man Religion

So, are some religions Man-Made? Yes, and everyone declares their religion is not. What makes Catholics different? We believe in supernatural, unexplained miracles. I know others do also, but I boldly say this because I'm a convert, and I know how others mistake our 'superstitions' and call some of what we believe hokey pokey.

From my experience, if you are looking at a faith in the eyes of men, it would be made from men. But if you look at the teachings, the doctrine, and get to the core of a religion, then that is where you find it is ordained by men or by God. If you focus on the rules of the religion rather than the supernatural spiritual side, you will always find it missing because you have taken the soul out of the faith. If your faith is based on whether you like a man's sermon, whether or not the people or friendly in your Church, whether or not the priest offended you, then you have a man-made religion. Take men out of the equation, and see what is left. I see miracles. I see Truth, I see 2000 years of steadfastness-not giving to the whims of the day that men create, I see one Man and he is on the Cross, this God-Man uses every day, ordinary things to create miracles for those that have eyes to see, I see Him in the Catholic Church.

St. Bernadette, Our Lady of Lourdes, you provided avenues for us to see the supernatural. Thank you. Pray for us.

Do you believe in the supernatural?