From time to time, reference is made to the appearance of the Virgin Mary somewhere on the planet. An extraordinary event that revives faith in God, providing renewed hope for a better world. The apparition of the Virgin of Lourdes is an expression of this.
Virgin of Lourdes
It is said that in 1858, in France specifically in a town called Lourdes, a young woman named Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879) claimed to have seen the vivid image of a lady, which by her appearance and verbalizations surely corresponded to the Virgin Mary herself. . This extraordinary apparition, which took place in the Massabielle grotto on the banks of the Gave de Pau river, certainly caused a stir in the community, where the young Bernadette lived.
Expectation, which affected not only Bernadette's life, but also that of her people, her country and the rest of humanity, given the divine character of such an event; event later recognized by the Catholic Church. Three years after her first appearance (1858), in 1862, Pope Pius IX gave the order to the local representative of the Church in Lourdes, so that the parishioners venerate the Virgin Mary who had appeared in Lourdes.
The forcefulness of what happened, referenced in 18 successive apparitions, must have been so impressive that, while Bernadette was still alive, the Catholic Church recognized the ownership of Our Lady of Lourdes, as an unequivocal expression of the apparition of the Virgin Mary in that place, with his message and his grace. If you are interested, we recommend reading the following article: Virgin of Saint Nicholas
Years later, on December 8, 1933 under the auspices of Pope Pius XI, Bernadette Soubirous is recognized as a saint and proclaimed as such. The place where the apparition of the Virgin of Lourdes occurred, resulted in a sanctuary, which, since then, is visited by thousands of faithful devotees, who come to show their veneration, faith and request for healing. In this regard, it is estimated that annually around 8 million people go on pilgrimage.
Bernadette Soubirous and the Virgin
The appearance of the Virgin Mary in any place and time is a matter of great interest, especially if it is understood that not everyone is granted this grace. It follows that the individual object of the vision has somehow been chosen by the divinity, according to certain attributes, to manifest her presence and to send a message to humanity.
In this regard, although this is an important fact when it comes to the recognition by the ecclesiastical authorities of the facts, messages and miracles that revolve around the events, it will always be a mystery to specify what subjective and objective aspects characterize a person, to be blessed with the ability to see and hear the Virgin. For this reason it is interesting to know, even in general terms, an aspect of her life.
Bernadette Soubirous, at the time of the apparitions, was a 14-year-old teenager who lived with her parents in the basement of a mill, helping them with housework and jobs related to shepherding.
Being the oldest of nine siblings, it fell to this little girl to also take care of them, while her parents worked to support their lives, in a France plagued by misery and disease.
Needless to say, the conditions of extreme poverty that surrounded the life of Bernadette and her family, not only influenced some of her siblings to die prematurely, but also had an impact on her health, which, given her malnutrition, coupled with the humidity and cold conditions of the place where they lived, they caused him a condition of great physical fragility.
By the time the apparitions occur, Bernadette had no schooling either. However, this adolescent girl, poor and illiterate, was the one chosen by the Virgin Mary, to send her message and her grace to humanity.
It is probable that his devotion to the Virgin, purity of spirit and practice of the Rosary made him worthy of such a magnificent blessing.
Years later, after the apparitions, she was admitted to the Community of Sisters of Charity of Nevers, where she worked as a nun and a nurse. Until her health problems worsened, she died on April 15, 1879 at the age of 35.
The incorruptibility of his body revealed in 1909, served as the basis, in 1933 under the regency of Pope Pius XI, the Church honor him with the consideration of Santa.
Timeline of appearances
According to Benedetti Soubirous, she experienced the experience of 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary, between February 11 and July 16, 1858. These, which generated great commotion in the field of Catholicism in their time, were progressively incorporating surprising elements worthy of being referenced, since they gave rise to the construction of faith, in which today is known as the Virgin of Lourdes.
The meeting
It is said that on February 11, 1858, the first meeting between the Virgin Mary and Bernadette took place, when she was going with her sister and a friend to the Massabielle Grotto, in order to collect some logs they needed.
As he was preparing to take off his shoes to cross the stream that was near the aforementioned grotto, the loud noise of a gust of wind made him look up at this site.
To the surprise of the young Benedetti, in that place and under an appearance that she later described, as of a lady with a veil and white dress, a blue belt around her waist and a yellow rose on each foot, was the Virgin Mary herself. It is important to note that only she had her vision, a situation in which she crosses herself and prays the Rosary together with the Virgin. After this, the Virgin disappeared.
Holy water
Three days later, on February 18, despite her parents' prohibition to return to the Grotto, she returned. Such was her need, drive and energy to go to that place, that at the insistence made to her parents, they could not refuse to give her permission.
On this occasion, the Virgin appeared to him again, after Bernadette prayed the first decade of the Rosary, she smiled at him and poured holy water on him. Both culminate the Rosary and again the Virgin disappears.
The Virgin speaks
On February 18 something extraordinary happens, the sweet lady speaks to Bernadette; the young woman wants to know her name and asks her to write it on a sheet of paper, before this, the Virgin tells her that it is not necessary, rather she asks her to come back the next 15 days, adding also, the promise of make her happy in the afterlife.
It is said that when the young woman addressed the Virgin, she spoke to her in her dialect, Gascón, and she also responded without any problem.
the silent apparition
True to the promise of fulfilling the 15 days requested by the Virgin, Bernadette returns to the Grotto on February 19, her expectations must have been great in the face of what would happen on this occasion. To do this, with great devotion, she carried a blessed white candle; however, on this occasion, it was a silent apparition, which later generated the custom of bringing candles to the Grotto to be lit.
in silence the prayer
As we said before, when referring to the appearances, each event involved the addition of a new element. On February 20, the Virgin appears again to the young Bernadette, what exactly would the Virgin tell her? Why did Bernadette feel so sad? In this regard, there is only reference to the fact that during this vision, the Virgin dictated a personal prayer to him.
The vision of "aquero"
It is possible to imagine that by February 21, a large contingent of people belonging to the village of Lourdes would like to witness the apparition of the Lady that the young Bernadette claimed to see. The point is that this she was only visible to the young woman's eyes, an issue that raised the mystery about the identity of the Lady.
In this regard, it is said that Bernadette, when questioned by Jacomet (police officer at the time), about the veracity of her vision and who that Lady really was; the young woman speaking in her Occitan dialect, she simply pronounced the word aquero, to refer to the lady in question. Aquero, a term that would come to mean that, that is, that Lady.
El secreto
On February 23, along with a crowd of about 150 people, the young Bernadette returns to the Grotto again, fulfilling her promise and waiting for another vision. At this moment, and without the Virgin revealing her identity, she tells him a secret. Secret that was not reported to anyone, because it was only for Bernadette. Another mystery that surely generated agitation among the people.
Request for penance
Now we know that whoever appeared to Bernadette was the very Virgin Mary, later recognized as the Virgin of Lourdes, in homage to the place where she was present. However, on February 24 the unknown persisted among the people about aquero, as the young woman pointed out. On this occasion, the Virgin appeared to her, with the request that she pray to God for sinners and kiss the ground in penance for the sins of the people.
Source Appearance
On February 25 of that year, an amazing event occurred that would have an impact in the future, the set of miracles associated with the Virgin of Lourdes. According to Bernadette's words, that day, the Lady instructed her to drink water from the fountain and even to eat plants that were in that place.
Faithfully interpreting this mandate, when the young woman was preparing to go to the banks of the Gave river to drink its waters, the Lady indicates with her finger that it is from there that muddy ground that she has to consummate the deed. It happened then, before the astonished gaze of those present, about 300 people, that Bernadette digs the earth in the indicated place, fulfilling her mandate. This done, her vision disappeared.
Presumably, the young woman's face and her general appearance aroused a certain rejection and incredulity in the people, who could not understand at that time the meaning of the request made to Bernadette, because what was heavenly about all this? However, days later, at the scene of the events, a source of water flowed, which would serve to this day as an unequivocal means for achieving the miracles of the Virgin of Lourdes.
The appearance of the fountain, served at that time, to improve the image and credibility of the young Bernadette, since many people at this point in the experiences related to the apparitions, began to consider her as an unbalanced person. Being a girl, very poor and illiterate, let's say that she didn't help her much, when her words were considered true.
At present, that spring that arose from the events that occurred on February 25, 1858, constitutes a very important pilgrimage site for the Catholic faithful and anyone who feels urged to be healed by the Virgin of Lourdes. There are many references about the miraculous properties of this divine source, a spring that even today produces around one hundred thousand liters of water daily.
in permanent silence
On February 27, Bernadette returns to the Grotto, in the company of more or less 800 people. As a custom had already become, everyone, even if they could not be eyewitnesses of the Lady's apparitions, was supposed to expect something new, which would support the young woman's visions. On this occasion, the Lady remained silent; the crowd could barely observe how she drank water from the fountain, while gesticulating for some penance.
penance
The next day, February 28, Bernadette is involved in a surprising event. In front of the crowd that watches her, the young woman before the vision of the Lady, falls into a kind of ecstasy, which leads her to crawl on her knees on the ground, while she prays and kisses the ground, all this as a sign of penance. Her reaction was immediate, Bernadette was taken to the house of a judge (Ribes), who threatened to send her to jail if the situation repeated.
the first miracle
It is related that on the first day of March of that year, in the Grotto and in the presence of fifteen hundred people who attended the event of the apparitions of the Lady, and even with the assistance for the first time of a Catholic priest, the first miracle occurred. of the Virgin of Lourdes.
In relation to this, there is reference that a friend of Bernadette (Catalina Latapie), who suffered from a dislocation of her arm, when wetting it in the spring, it was repaired immediately.
The message to the priests
After the miracle, on March 2 during the apparition of the Lady, and with the usual crowd around, the Lady speaks to Bernadette, asking her to tell the priests to build a chapel in that place, also assisting her in procession.
Learning of this, the parish priest of Lourdes through Bernadette's own mouth, raises her own concerns with the young woman. Occurring then that the priest Peyramale, urges the young woman to ask the Lady what her name is, also demanding as proof of her existence, the miracle of the flowering in winter, of roses in the Grotto.
A smile for an answer
On March 3, Bernadette again returns to the Grotto to meet the Lady; Three thousand people accompany him. This time, we assume some pressure from the parish priest, who insists on requesting the name of the Lady and the condition of the respective miracle. Given this, Bernadette asks the Lady the question, receiving only a beautiful smile from her. The parish priest referred to, conditions the construction of the chapel, to the fulfillment of the request.
the longed for day
On March 4, after 15 days since the first apparition occurred, to the frustration of the people (approximately 8000 people) and the priest Peyramale, who anxiously awaited a miracle to happen, simply nothing special happened, the Lady remained silent. . For the next twenty days, Bernadette stopped going to the Grotto.
The revelation of the name
It is possible to suppose, the restlessness of the people and of Bernadette herself, to know the identity of the mysterious Lady; Then it happened on March 25 of that year, that she finally revealed her name, telling the young woman that she was The Immaculate Conception. Reporting this revelation caused a stir, especially in the parish priest, since it was impossible for this illiterate girl to know such a term.
The term referred to had been established four years earlier by Pope Pius IX to designate the Blessed Virgin. The verbalization of the young woman, an expression typical of Catholic theology, served for everyone to understand that the apparitions corresponded without a doubt to the Virgin Mary.
The miracle of the candle
It is said that during the apparition on April 7, an event occurred that everyone considered to be a true miracle. It turns out that Bernadette, as she had already made a habit of it, carried a lighted candle in her hand; at one point, the flame grazed her skin, but amazingly, the young woman felt no pain, nor did she suffer a burn. This event was corroborated by a doctor of the time: Dr. Doudous.
the last revelation
On Thursday, July 18, the last apparition of the Virgin of Lourdes took place, curiously on this occasion, the vision for Bernadette did not take place in the usual place, since access to the Grotto had been cancelled. In any case, the Virgin appeared to him on the other side of the river; even more beautiful than before, according to her words.
ecclesiastical approval
The aforementioned events would allow the reader to suppose that, given the extraordinary apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, these would unequivocally lead to the recognition by the ecclesiastical authorities of the time, at once, of Bernadette's words. Nothing is further from reality. Understanding the sensitivity of the matter, and even when the veneration of the Virgin was already a fact among the devotees, some time passed before this happened.
Predictably, the young Bernadette was subjected to many confirmatory interrogations, despite having impressed the people and the parish priest of Lourdes with the expression, Immaculate Conception, as the name of the Virgin Mary herself. Incomprehensible term on the part of an illiterate and ignorant person.
In this regard, it is said that during the last interrogation practiced on the young Bernadette, by the ecclesiastical authorities, specifically on December 1, 1860, the Bishop of Tarbes, Laurence, was extremely impressed with the words and gestures of the young girl, referring to the Lady of his visions.
Apparently, this old bishop experienced great emotion when he heard the events of that miraculous day, March 25, 1858, the date on which the Virgin Mary said she was The Immaculate Conception, but above all, for the special and moving way in which the young Bernadette imitated the words and gestures of the Virgin.
But it was only two years later, on January 18, 1862, when the Bishop of Tarbes publicly acknowledged that the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, had indeed appeared to the young Bernadette. This he did by publishing a pastoral letter. If you are interested, we recommend reading the following article: History of Saint Philomena
That same year, and probably as a consequence of the aforementioned, Pope Pius IX gave authorization to the local bishop of Lourdes, so that the parishioners could venerate the Virgin Mary in that place. It would then be understood that from here on, at least with a more official character, the Virgin of Lourdes would be spoken of. In fact, other pontiffs supported the veneration and pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Lourdes, a practice that continues to this day.
The impact of the apparition of the Virgin, triggered a series of events within the Catholic Church, which is worth mentioning. For example, under the mandate of Pope Pius X, the veneration and celebrations around the Virgin of Lourdes were extended to the entire Church, and later, under the auspices of Pope Pius XI, this mandate was reaffirmed with the beatification of Bernadette on June 6, 1925, and her subsequent canonization on December 8, 1933.
In recognition of the aforementioned facts, this Pope in 1937, sent a representative of his (Eugenio Pacelli) to Lourdes, solely with the purpose of paying homage to the Virgin of Lourdes. Subsequently, on September 8, 1953, Pope Pius XII, one hundred years after the events related to the appearance of The Immaculate Conception, decrees the first Marian year in the history of Catholicism.
The decree referred to, which appears in the Encyclical Letter Crown Fulgens, N° 3-4, presents a description made by Pope Pius XII, about the events of Lourdes. According to this, it seems as if the Virgin had wanted to ratify through her presence and to the admiration and recognition of the whole Church, the word of her son.
Well, in what way could the fact be explained, where the Virgin in a town in France, manifests herself beautifully dressed in white, to tell a girl, who insisted on knowing her name, that she was The Immaculate Conception. This extraordinary event led to a massive pilgrimage to the Lourdes sanctuary, helping the faithful to renew their faith in Christ by redirecting their lives.
Nature of approval
It is possible to find throughout history, and even today, stories that seem to fit the terms of a heavenly appearance, and even the resolution of a situation, attributable to a holy miracle; however, according to the canons established by the Catholic Church, this is not always the case, and care must be taken in propagating uncorroborated stories, which would rather tend to confuse the parishioners.
In this regard, according to the Catholic Church, an apparition is a personal and subjective event, which does not deserve to be shared publicly, as this does not represent something that fosters faith in the faithful and in no way can be considered as a means of salvation. For the Church, faith is based on other premises, according to which only God knows who to choose for his healing and with what means.
Approval Consequences
Religious cults are inextricably linked to the acceptance of believers, that is, to the faith or devotion that the mass of people expresses, through different manifestations of the religious fact, in this sense, we can find that there are many popular cults that do not have the acceptance or formal consideration of the institution, in this case, the Catholic Church.
There are also popular venerations that, although they are not formally accepted by the institution, we observe as officials of the Church: priests, parish priests of community churches or other authorities, refer to the fact and do not question its exercise by the parishioners. For example, we can think of the devotion to San Antonio de Padua, as the patron saint of lovers and marriage.
Here, it is even common to observe how representative authorities of the Catholic Church go so far as to recommend rituals so that people who are looking for a boyfriend or partner, get it and accept that they replicate them in the house of God.
We also find that in the development of the Church, there are other manifestations of great impact on believers, who enjoy the endorsement or total consideration of the Church.
This recognition is not only reflected in the spokesperson represented by the Church, in the recommendation to the faithful to their invocation, also, by circumstantially referring to the deity through a prayer. Acceptance is represented when a liturgical protocol is developed that commemorates the religious act and this is carried out periodically to celebrate the advent of faith, to which reference is made.
This is the case of the veneration of the Holy Virgin of Lourdes, her connection as Holy Protector of the sick and maximum expression of the appearance of The Immaculate Conception in earthly life. We can indicate a series of events that throughout history, the Church has carried out to celebrate such a significant act of divinity.
Every March 25, the most important authorities of the Catholic Church, express the importance of the date on which the Virgin of Lourdes appeared. In fact, by 1958, the hundred years of the apparition of the Virgin, before the humble shepherdess Bernadette, were commemorated for the first time.
Pope John XXIII, in the consecration of a beautiful basilica in the name of Saint Pius X, expressed the following: the Catholic Church, in the voice of its Popes, does not cease to encourage its devoted faithful, so that they follow the words of the Virgin of Lourdes, patron saint of the sick.
It is also remarkable that the first apparition of the Virgin occurs on February 11; Regarding this, another Pope, John Paul II, instituted February 11, as the day of the world celebration of the sick, paying honor to the Holy Virgin of Lourdes. Once again, Pope John Paul II pays homage to the Virgin of Lourdes, visiting her sanctuary in 1983 and 2004.
A similar thing happened with Benedict XVI, who made an appearance in Lourdes to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his appearance. Currently, the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Lourdes represents one of the most visited places of Catholic veneration in the world; Her prestige as a miracle worker, directed towards people suffering from diseases where science has shown its inefficiency, is known throughout the Christian world.
It is estimated that its place of exaltation, the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Lourdes, is visited annually by approximately 8 million people; definitely, The Immaculate Conception not only did it change the lives of the inhabitants of the area, which reaches a figure of around 15 people, but it has also given life expectancy through its miraculous cures to many people in the world.
Representation
An aspect that has always been a source of interest, not only in the Christian world but also in other areas, has to do with the physical aspect of celestial beings.
In the popular imagination, stories abound about extraordinary appearances of saints, virgins, angels or divinities of any kind, with certain characteristics. Of a subjective nature, these expressions are not immediately recognized by the Catholic Church.
In the case of the visions that the young Bernadette had, according to which they corresponded to The Immaculate Conception, After a thorough examination by the ecclesiastical authorities, not only the veracity of the words of the young woman in question was recognized, but also the physical attributes that, according to their vision, the Virgin had.
In this regard, according to Bernadette, the Virgin appeared to her as a young woman, always dressed in white, with her waist surrounded by a blue ribbon and a white veil over her hair; with a golden rose on each foot of her, she also had a rosary hanging from her arm, highlighting in her image the position of her hands in an attitude of prayer. This is the representation of the Virgin of Lourdes for the Catholic faithful.
patron saint of the sick
It is reasonable to link the Most Holy image of the Virgin Mary to the protection of human beings, especially those who suffer some calamity or illness that leaves them severely disabled, this consideration is given according to the biblical account, written in the Gospel according to John , where says:
Among the people who accompanied Jesus in his crucifixion are his mother, who always accompanied him on his Calvary, his mother's sister, Mary Magdalene, and the most appreciated of Jesus' disciples.
The son of God, addressing his mother, tells her that there, he has his son, and speaking to his beloved disciple, he expresses that this is also his mother. From that moment on, her favorite student assumes María from her and takes her with him to her house.
This situation reported by John suggests how Mary, mother of God, becomes the protective mother of all children, and all men begin to consider Mary, mother of Two, as their mother, and therefore venerate her as such. The Catholic ecclesiastical institutionality, based on Bernatte's stories, considers the Virgin Mary, mother of God, as the Holy protector of sick people.
Taking as a reference the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes, as a result of her act of presence, a fact corroborated by the statements of the young Bernadette, a significant number of miracles have been made public, there are so many that in France there are institutions in charge of collecting, study, and analyze the alleged facts qualified as miracles attributed to the Virgin of Lourdes.
These offices are: the Medical Verification Office, and the International Medical Committee of Lourdes; These entities have a rigid verification procedure for the stories presented as miracles. Of the 700 cases reviewed, compiled in the summary report of the miraculous actions of the Virgin of Lourdes, only 70 were considered as such, that is, only ten percent. hundred of all postulates, meet the conditions to be accepted as miracles.
All this discrimination of data, circumstances, and situations, have been carried out in the course of a century and a half; From another perspective, in 1500 years only true miraculous events attributed to the Virgin of Lourdes are considered, seventy cases of healing or healing of patients with pathologies qualified by doctors as incurable.
The analyzes to which the supposed miracles are subjected are so rigorous, meticulous, that there is a referenced case, endorsed by a doctor who won a Nobel Prize, and despite this consideration of so much academic weight, it was discarded by the investigative board. of the case, by doubting a certain psychological condition evidenced before the cure.
There are various conditions that can be analyzed when studying something that is intended to be called a miracle performed by the Virgin of Lourdes; for example, the case where the minor age is evident, among those who request the favors of the Virgin, corresponded to a two-year-old boy; Another condition analyzed is that for the benefit of a miracle, it is not necessary for the sick person to travel to the grotto of the Virgin of Lourdes.
In this regard, according to the Miracles Investigation Office, there are six testimonies of people who acknowledge being benefited with favors from the Virgin of Lourdes, without ever having gone to the place where she appeared. Another approach to consider is that every ten miracles performed, at least in seven there was contact with the water of Lourdes.
What would be the necessary conditions for a healing to be considered miraculous? The rigor of the protocol must always be emphasized, in order to be accepted by the ecclesiastical institution as a miracle of the Virgin of Lourdes, among the most outstanding demands we have: that the disease be diagnosed as incurable, from the medical point of view and that it be verified that all the medical treatments used have been useless, not effective.
In addition to the above, that the cure described as miraculous is total, that there is no trace of the disease and that it is unexpected; a healing over time, by periods or stages is not considered viable; the possibility of a relapse is not glimpsed either, the disease must disappear completely, full recovery is insisted on; and finally, there should be no predisposition of the patient towards successful healing.
Among the most famous cases considered miracles of the Virgin of Lourdes by the Catholic institution, are: Jeanne Fretel (France), thirty-one years old, suffered from an illness that kept her in a coma, she visited the Lourdes grotto in 1948, she was famished, and presented an extreme feverish picture. She was placed next to the spring, she did not bathe, nor did she drink the water, she received religious consecration and woke up; She was fully recovered that night, she did not relapse again, two years later her miracle was recognized.
Brother Leo Schwager (Switzerland), twenty-eight years old, suffered from an incurable autoimmune disease since childhood, went to the Lourdes grotto in 1952, his miraculous cure was accepted 8 years later. Alicia Couteau (France), also with an incurable autoimmune disease since she was a child, went to Lourdes in 1952, her qualified miraculous healing became effective in 1956.
Marie Bigot (France), visited Lourdes twice, in 1953 and then 1954, she was thirty-two years old when she went for the second time, with hemiplegia, she was blind and deaf, she fully recovered, her miracle was certified in 1956. Ginette de Nouvel (France), went to Lourdes in 1954, suffering from hepatic thrombosis, his miracle was recognized in 1963.
Elisa Aloi (Italy), 27 years old, visits Lourdes in 1958, she suffered from osteoarticular tuberculosis, that is to say, in bones and joints, her total cure was considered a miracle in 1965. Vittorio Micheli (Italy), went to Lourdes in 1963, had Twenty-three years old, he suffered from hip cancer, his tumor was so large that it paralyzed his left leg, after bathing in the Lourdes spring, his leg was mobilized, disappearing his immense tumor.
In the previous case, the total healing check was made when the patient did not show any more pain, his damaged joint healed without any explanation, the miracle is certified in 1976. Serge Perrin (France), forty-one years old, suffered from a terrible hemiplegia that had him prostrated in a wheelchair, he was almost blind, he visited Lourdes twice in 1969 and 1970.
For Perrin, on the second opportunity the miracle was accomplished, he was able to walk and see without any problem, he did not bathe or have contact with Lourdes water, his cure and qualification as a miracle was made in 1978. Delizia Cirolli (Italy), had cancer in the knees, the doctors had recommended amputating, given the risk of his cancer spreading throughout the body, he passed through the grotto in 1976; Upon her return to Italy, her tumor disappeared, only her tibia was somewhat affected.
Later Delizia underwent surgery on her leg, the girl fully recovered mobility, her cure and consideration as a miracle, took place in 1989. Jean Pierre Bély (France), fifty-one years old, visited the grotto of the Virgin of Lourdes, in 1987, suffered from an autoimmune disease, which had him totally paralyzed, he received a sanctification as sick and in a short time he was able to stand up, and then walk.
The previous healing was described as inexplicable, and was recognized as a miracle in 1999. Anna Santaniello (Italy), in 1951 visits Lourdes, at the age of forty-one; her case was postulated by an organization (UNITALSI); she had heart disease, she did not speak or move, she suffered from severe asthma, she was placed in a water tank in Lourdes, she walked out of it, at night she participated in a march in honor of the Virgin of Lourdes.
His recovery was described as amazing, later Anna at ninety-four years old; She declares that when she was sick, she did not ask the Virgin for her, she did it for a sick young man who had become disabled, her case was considered a miracle in 2005.
Finally, it is important to point out that the events indicated above have meaning to the extent that there is enough faith to support and validate the supremacy of God the Almighty Father, above all, including one of the great creations of man, science. .
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