Ash Wednesday

February 18th is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten Season. This is a time for us to recall Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, fasting and resisting temptation, and a time for us to observe the three disciplines of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

Many Catholics commit to some kind of fasting, the surrendering of luxuries, and adding a spiritual discipline to their daily routine. Saint Louis Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Christ Through Mary is a beautiful 33 day self surrendering and self giving to Jesus, who first gave Himself completely over to us and for us.

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

On February 11th 1858, a 14 year old peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, saw the first of what would be 18 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at a grotto in Lourdes, France. Over the course of these apparitions, The Lady (Bernadette did not know who she was at first) instructed Bernadette to dig a spring from the dirt nearby, to wash in the muddy water and drink it, and to eat of an herb that grew there, as an act of penance. This Lady also told Bernadette that a chapel should be built at the site, and, prayer and penance were a dearly needed focus. Bernadette finally learned, during the 16th apparition, that this Lady was The Immaculate Conception.

The spring, which still flows today, eventually ran clear and became the source of many miracles. 72 miraculous cures have been recorded from this source by the Lourdes Medical Bureau. There are now a number of Chapels and Churches at Lourdes, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes has been a major Catholic pilgrimage site for millions of people around the world.