“Lourdes has come to Westminster,” declared Cardinal Vincent Nichols in his homily at a special Mass to bid farewell to the Relics of St Bernadette after a two-day visit to Westminster Cathedral.
Cardinal Nichols spoke of the deep sense of peace visited on the thousands of pilgrims that lit candles and prayed alongside the great saint who, as a 14-year-old girl, saw the Virgin Mary eighteen times in a series of apparitions in a cave on the outskirts of the French mountain town of Lourdes.
“I confess that when spending some quiet time before the Relics, I found it to be so similar to being at the grotto in Lourdes itself,” said the Cardinal. “Even though there was a constant flow of people, what struck me was the deep sense of peace. There was an intense focus on Our Lady. There were countless moments in which people clearly entrusted themselves, and their anxieties, to Our Lady at the prompting of St Bernadette – by their petitions, by their gestures, by lighting candles; through gentleness and patience showed to one another.”
The Relics will now continue to 40 other venues as they tour the UK.
Solemn Mass of Farewell to the Relics of St Bernadette
Monday, 5 September 2022, 8am
Westminster Cathedral
On 3 March 1858, at the 13th meeting, or apparition, Our Lady instructed St Bernadette that the people should come to her in pilgrimage.
Millions have done so by going to Lourdes.
This weekend Our Lady’s message reached us, brought to us by St Bernadette. Many thousands have come to the Cathedral to present themselves to Our Lady, to be alongside St Bernadette, our little sister, seeking Our Lady’s prayers on our behalf.
Lourdes has come to Westminster, to us.
I confess that when spending some quiet time before the Relics, I found it to be so similar to being at the grotto in Lourdes itself. Even though there was a constant flow of people, what struck me was the deep sense of peace. There was an intense focus on Our Lady. There were countless moments in which people clearly entrusted themselves, and their anxieties, to Our Lady at the prompting of St Bernadette – by their petitions, by their gestures, by lighting candles; through gentleness and patience showed to one another.
All this was done without looking at those all around – without any self-consciousness or ego – with a profound and moving simplicity.
I will never forget one lady who had in her arms a tiny baby. Before Our Lady, she spread a white cloth on the floor and gently laid the baby on it. She was presenting her baby to her heavenly Mother, knowing that this Mother will accompany the child all through its life’s journey – to her Beloved Son, Our Saviour and Redeemer.
This is what Our Lady does.
As we heard in the Gospel just now, at the Wedding Feast in Cana, in Galilee (John 2:1-11), to spare the embarrassment of the newlyweds, Our Lady turns to her Son and prompts him to respond. She does so with the utmost confidence.
There are no needs that we cannot bring to her and, through her, to Our Blessed Lord.
She also fulfils the words of the Prophet Isaiah, which we heard about in the First Reading (Isaiah 66: 10-14). She brings the comfort, the consolation of God, into our troubled world, the world that is troubled by greed, anger, division – all the hallmarks of sin – in the world in which we live.
It may be important to remember that as we face a time of hardship and distress, that the response of God (as shown in the encounters between Our Lady and St Bernadette) is not to promise a utopia here but rather to enter our darkness and brokenness with an unfailing, healing light until we reach the happiness of heaven, again as promised to St Bernadette.
In the words of the Preface of our Mass today, we honour Our Lady for she “brought forth into the world the eternal light.”
Yes, and she brought forth in St Bernadette such a powerful expression of that light. In our coming to St Bernadette, to Our Lady, she has allowed that eternal light to be expressed in our faces, in our gracious gestures, in our prayers and in our concern for others.
St Bernadette’s Relics now leave us to continue their journey to 40 other places.
We pray that grace and witness, given and received here, will likewise be given to many, many thousands of other people.
This moment has reminded us of the great importance of our faith in our society today, expressed in prayer and service, gathered and strengthened in the community of the Church.
May the journey of these Relics in our lands, re-enliven our faith in Jesus Christ, our love for Him, our love for Our Blessed Lady, and our esteem and honour for St Bernadette.
Amen.
