he grotto of Lourdes, its dep
The father, when he couldn't get a job and was
hungry, stayed in bed rather than begging for alms, and left what he had for
his children. One day the gendarmes arrived at the "dungeon":
Francisco was accused of having stolen two sacks of flour that had disappeared
from the bakery where he worked. They inspected the room: they found no trace
of flour, but they did find a thick piece of wood.
—Where did you get it from?
—I went to look for firewood, I found this piece of wood next to Mr. Dozous's wall, and I took it, because I knew it wouldn't harm anyone.
In fact, no one claimed him, but Francisco was taken prisoner, he was interrogated by police commissioner Jacomet, by the investigating judge Rives, nine days of investigations, writings, signatures and seals, while the alleged thief of a useless abandoned piece of wood suffers in jail thinking about his starving family. Finally, displaying humanity and equanimity, a judicial order from the imperial prosecutor Dutour required the judge to release the prisoner, and then there was no trial. Ridiculous bureaucratic episode, if it were not at the same time tragic. What the jealous authorities did not worry about was that that family could work and eat.
Eat! "One day," Miss Estrade later recounted, "I was praying, around two in the afternoon, in front of the altar of Our Lady, in the church of Lourdes, and I thought I was alone when I noticed that the chairs were moving.”. I turned and saw a poorly dressed boy of about six years old. His face was funny, but very pale, which told me he was a poorly fed child. I returned to my prayers, but the boy continued his task. With a very dry chirping he wanted to impose silence on him. The boy obeyed, but, despite the precautions he took to not make any more noise, he was unable to do so. I looked at him more closely and saw him bend down, scrape the tiles, and immediately put his hand to his mouth. What did he eat? The wax that had fallen from the candles during a service for the dead.
—Do you eat wax? -asked.
He gave me a sign of yes.
—Are you hungry?... Would you like to eat something else?
With repeated movements of his head he answered me affirmatively.
It was Juan María, the son of the Soubirous
family. Fortunately for a long time, according to the story, he was invited
every day to eat a dish at the Estrade house, although the boy never wanted to
enter, he would take it on the step of the stairs that they gave him. He served
as a table.
María Bernarda Soubirous On January 9, 1844, the anniversary of her parents' wedding, she was baptized. Her godmother is her aunt Bernarda de ella, from whom she receives her name and to differentiate her from her, also her diminutive: Bernadette. Ten months after he was born, a lit candle fell on his mother's dress while she was sleeping next to the fire, igniting it and causing some burns on her chest. She was also expecting another child (who will be born in February, but he only lived two months). For this reason, they looked for a wet nurse for Bernadette: María Lagües, from the town of Bartrés (about 4 km, to the north of Lourdes), who had just lost her first child, and, heartbroken, was a second mother for Bernardita, receiving five monthly francs in money or flour. After the death of her son, her mother wants the girl to return, but the nurse resists her, she will take care of her for free, and she will have her until April 1846, when she was already expecting another son (Dionysius).
In the autumn of 1855 there is a cholera epidemic, with numerous victims, Bernadette also falls; She has been weak since she was six years old, and although she manages to survive, she is left with asthma, which will torment her throughout her life.
Aunt Bernarda, after a year of marriage, was widowed in 1850, had remarried and had two children, ages two and three. She had inherited a café from her first husband, and in the winter of '56 to '57 her goddaughter lived with her and helped her.
At the end of June 1857, the nurse asked Bernadette's parents to let her take care of their children (Dionisio, 11, Josefa, 9, Juan, 7, Josefina, 4, and Juan María, 2). Her condition is that she would not be paid, but she could go to school and catechism. They are well-off farmers, however, after two months she is made to take care of the sheep and they do not let her continue going to school. She thus arrives at the age of 14 without knowing how to read or the catechism to make her first communion. Everyone has always used her to work without worrying about her going to school. Her mother, urged by a brother priest, decides to teach her the catechism herself, at the end of the day; with little fruit and little patience; It is not easy to learn when she is tired and sleepy despite the interest she takes in her; Above her the catechism is in French, which she barely understands.
Bernadette, in addition to being a good shepherdess, is docile and religious. The priest commented to the teacher: «Many times when I saw her I thought of the children of La Salette; "The Virgin must have appeared to them because they would be as good, simple and pious as her."
Finally, worried about making her first communion, she got her parents to take her home again on January 28, 1858, and the next day she went to the Sisters who had a school next to the hospital they ran, to sign up for classes. preparation for first communion.
Afterwards, wonderful stories have been told about her stay in Bartrés: that if once the flock crossed a stream without getting wet, or that she did not get wet in a terrible storm, that if by making food she multiplied the insufficient flour. But later, she, talking to a friend, always repeated: "It's not true, everything is false."
The apparitions of the Virgin
We saw how Bernadette had reached Massabielle's grotto with her companions. On several occasions she told what happened:
FIRST APPEARANCE (Thursday, February 11, 1858)
«I went a little further to see if I could pass without taking off my shoes, but it was not possible. I returned in front of the grotto and began to take off my shoes. As soon as I took off a stocking I heard wind noise, like a storm approaching. I turned my head toward the meadow, and saw that the trees were not moving. I continued taking off my shoes, and when I was about to enter the water I heard the same noise again. I raised my head and saw that only the branches and brambles of the grotto were moving below its highest opening. Inside it and behind the branches I saw a young woman no taller than me, with a white dress that reached to her feet, of which only her fingers could be seen, and on them a yellow rose. Her dress was closed up to her neck, held by a white cord fastener, which hung down. She was wearing a blue sash that fell just below her knees. A white veil covered her head, revealing some of her hair, it descended over her shoulders and arms to the floor. From her right arm hung a large rosary, with thick white beads, widely spaced, and a golden chain. I was afraid, I backed away, although it was not a fear like other times, because instead of running away I would have always stayed looking at her. I wanted to call my colleagues, but I couldn't. I rubbed my eyes several times believing it was an illusion.
The young woman with blue eyes, who was all surrounded by light, smiled deliciously at me, and motioned for me to come closer with her hand. Then it occurred to me to pray. I took the rosary that she was carrying in her pocket, I got on my knees and wanted to cross myself, but I couldn't raise my hand. The young woman took the rosary from her with her hands and crossed herself. Then I crossed myself too and she got rid of my fear. I prayed the rosary without stopping to look at her. She passed the beads, but she only prayed the glories, lowering her head. At the end of the rosary she greeted me smiling, she retired into the hole and disappeared.
Later he would comment: «I have never seen anything so beautiful. She is so beautiful that when she has seen her once she wants to die to see her again.
Toneta and Juana when they returned were scared seeing Bernadette all pale, the ecstasy ending. "What are you doing there praying?" —"All places are good for praying." She crossed the stream and found the water rather warm. When she put on her shoes she asked them, "Have you seen anything?" -"No".
Juana walked alone through the meadow, with a bundle of firewood on her head and the basket with the bones on her arm. The two sisters climbed the path to the top of the rocks with the firewood. Bernadette with complete ease, to the surprise of Toneta, who was stronger, and that she could barely handle her load.
On the way, Bernadette could not help but give in to her sister's urging to tell her what she had seen, making her promise to keep it a secret. But as soon as she arrived at her house she told her mother. "Poor me! What do you say you have seen? The mother has enough problems already: she takes the pole to beat the blankets and, as she used to, hits the daughters - it shouldn't have been too much - "You've only seen a white stone. "I forbid you to return." The father from the bed declares: «We have never had anything to talk about; Don't start now." The mother thinks that she is some soul from purgatory. "You have to pray."
Juana arrives and they go to sell the bones to the rag collector, who gave them six sous, with which they bought a pound of bread, and, according to Juana, they returned to the Soubirous house to eat it.
SECOND APPEARANCE. (Carnival Sunday, February 14)
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