The Grotto Visit

You probably know the story of St Bernadette's visit with Our Lady, or at least some of it. A young girl from an impoverished family sees a pretty young lady in a barren rock wall above a small opening in that rock wall. She pretty young lady asks to have a chapel built above the site. A spring comes out of ground where one did note exist before and with it water which has brought with it countless miracles, physical, emothional and spiritual. This pretty young lady will eventually reveal herself to Bernadette as the Immaculate Conception, a phrase incomprehensable to young Bernadette. Our Malades visited this holy place. Walked by the source of the spring, touched the wall below where Our Lady apppeared and saw where Bernadette knelt. It is so very simple, so very stiring, and so very powerful. Why is it that Mary, that God, that Jesus, so often reach out to touch the young, the poor, the lost and the suffering? In the times of our deepest humility, whe are most like those God searches out. God works well with the broken, with those that often have no one else to turn to. There is great presence of God in suffering, in the poor, in children. There is a great presence of God about us when we humble ourselves to others. I pray that I might act always as if there is no one left to turn to other than God.