Perhaps the most remarkable fact about the apparitions of Our Lady at Lourdes (1858) is that the Church, from 1907 on, has honored that event with the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes celebrated each February 11. The story of the appearances is always worth retelling. Bernadette Soubirous, aged 14, was the child of a very poor family of Lourdes, a town in the Pyrenees Mountains of southern France. On February 11, 1858, she saw a lovely lady in the nearby river side grotto of Massabielle. That day Bernadette was picking up sticks for firewood. She had two younger girls as companions; but only she had the vision. The Lady was clothed in a white veil and dress and a blue sash; and she carried a rosary on her forearm. She persuaded Bernadette to recite the rosary while she herself fingered its beads; but that day she said nothing. When Bernadette told her story at home, she met mixed reactions. But she returned to the grotto three days later and saw the vision once more. On February 18, the Lady, still not identifying herself, asked Bernadette to come back there every day for a fortnight. She also told her on that occasion that she could promise her happiness only in heaven; not in this life. Future events would bear out her assurance.
The apparitions continued until July 16, 18 in all. Larger and larger crowds accompanied Bernadette to the riverbank as time went on. The Lady was now talking with Bernadette while the young girl was in a trance; but nobody else saw what Bernadette saw or heard what she heard. On February 21 the Visitor revealed to Bernadette a spring at the bottom of the cave. This spring, at first a mere trickle, soon began to pour forth thousands of gallons each day. On March 1, a cure took place at the grotto: the first of hundreds to come. On March 2, the Lady said she wanted a chapel built on that spot. Then, on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, she finally declared her identity: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Just four years earlier, in 1854, Pope Pius IX, after consulting all Catholic bishops, had defined as a dogma of faith the immaculate conception of Mary; that is her sinlessness from the first moment of her existence. Bernadette had never heard of the term nor of the dogma. But the local priests now knew that the Lady who spoke was Mary.
After careful study, the local bishop declared in 1862 that the appearances reported by Bernadette were credible and that the spot might be visited by pilgrims. Now the young girl’s task was over. She had already suffered much at the hands of the incredulous. Eventually she entered a religious order, and lived out the rest of her life in seclusion and pain, and died far away from her home village. Appearances of Our Lady had been reported before 1858, and still more have been reported since then. Only rarely have these apparitions been in cities (e.g., to St. Catherine Laboure in Paris, and to Father Alphonsus Ratisbonne in Rome). Most of them have taken place in remote country places (perhaps because they resembled Mary’s own home-village of Nazareth?). On each occasion the Lady has appeared in varying styles. On each reported occasion, too - even when the claims of visions have been authenticated (Lourdes, Fatima, LaSalette, Beauraing, Guadalupe, etc.), the appearances have become the subject of strong controversy. One even wonders why Mary continues to appear, considering the sometimes unsavory battles that spring up in connection with her visitations. But surely she must have good reasons. Perhaps Jesus permits this sort of confusion (no doubt attributable in part to Satan), in order to bring her message to the attention of a wide audience, once the outcry has ceased.
It is most important that in the face of any alleged apparitions, Catholics suspend any final judgment until the Church has made a careful study of the case and announced its conclusion. The basic criteria used are: Can these events be explained in other than a supernatural way? Do they in any manner run counter to revealed faith and morals? We can be sure that it is Mary who appeared if her basic advice is the same one that she gave to the waiters at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you” (John, 2:5). -- Father Robert F. McNamara
Scripture (Isa 66:10-14c)
Dear brothers and sisters,
The thirty-fourth World Day of the Sick will be solemnly celebrated in Chiclayo, Peru, on 11 February 2026. For this occasion, I would recommend reflecting once again on the figure of the Good Samaritan, for he is always relevant and essential for rediscovering the beauty of charity and the social dimension of compassion. This reflection further directs our attention towards the needy and all those who suffer, especially the sick.
We are all familiar with the moving account found in the Gospel of Saint Luke (cf. Lk 10:25-37). Jesus responds to a scholar of the law, who asks him to identify the neighbor he must love, with this story: a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by robbers and left for dead. While a priest and a Levite passed him by, a Samaritan took pity on him, bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn and provided for his care. I have chosen to reflect on this biblical passage through the lens of the Encyclical Fratelli tutti, written bymy beloved predecessor Pope Francis. There, compassion and mercy towards those in need are not reduced to a merely individual effort, but are realized through relationships: with our brothers and sisters in need, with those who care for them and, ultimately, with God who gives us his love.
1. The gift of encounter: the joy of offering closeness and presence
We live immersed in a culture of speed, immediacy and haste – a culture of “discard” and indifference that prevents us from pausing along the way and drawing near to acknowledge the needs and suffering that surround us. In the parable, when the Samaritan saw the wounded man, he did not “pass by.” Instead, he looked upon him with an open and attentive gaze – the very gaze of Jesus – which led him to act with human and compassionate closeness. The Samaritan “stopped, approached the man and cared for him personally, even spending his own money to provide for his needs… [Above all] he gave him his time.” Jesus does not merely teach us who our neighbor is, but rather how to become a neighbor; in other words, how we can draw close to others. In this respect, we can affirm with Saint Augustine that the Lord did not intend to show us who that man’s neighbor was, but rather to whom he should become a neighbor. Indeed, no one is truly a neighbor until they freely draw near to another. Thus, the one who became a neighbor was the one who showed mercy.
Love is not passive; it goes out to meet the other. Being a neighbor is not determined by physical or social proximity, but by the decision to love. This is why Christians become neighbors to those who suffer, following the example of Christ, the true divine Samaritan who drew near to a wounded humanity. These are not mere gestures of philanthropy, but signs through which we perceive that personal participation in another’s suffering involves the gift of oneself. It means going beyond the simple satisfaction of needs, so that our very person becomes part of the gift. This kind of charity is necessarily nourished by an encounter with Christ, who gave himself for us out of love. Saint Francis expressed this beautifully when, speaking of his encounter with lepers, he said: “The Lord himself led me among them,” because through them he had discovered the sweet joy of loving.
The gift of encounter flows from our union with Jesus Christ. We recognize him as the Good Samaritan who has brought us eternal salvation, and we make him present whenever we reach out to a wounded brother or sister. Saint Ambrose said: “Since no one is more truly our neighbor than he who has healed our wounds, let us love him as Lord and also as neighbor; for nothing is so close as the head to its members. Let us also love those who imitate Christ; let us love those who suffer due to the poverty of others, for the sake of the unity of the Body.” “To be one in the One” – through closeness, presence, and love received and shared – is to rejoice, like Saint Francis, in the sweetness of having encountered the Lord.
2. The shared mission of caring for the sick
Saint Luke continues, noting that the Samaritan “was moved with pity.” Compassion, in this sense, implies a profound emotion that compels us to act. It is a feeling that springs from within and leads to a committed response to another’s suffering. In this parable, compassion is the defining characteristic of active love; it is neither theoretical nor merely sentimental, but manifests itself through concrete gestures. The Samaritan drew near, tended the wounds, took charge and provided care. Notably, he does not act in isolation: “The Samaritan discovered an innkeeper who would care for the man; we too are called to unite as a family that is stronger than the sum of small individual members.” In my experience as a missionary and bishop in Peru, I have personally witnessed many who show mercy and compassion in the spirit of the Samaritan and the innkeeper. Family members, neighbors, healthcare workers, those engaged in pastoral care for the sick, and many others stop along the way to draw near, heal, support and accompany those in need. By offering what they have, they give compassion a social dimension. This experience, occurring within a network of relationships, transcends mere individual commitment. For this reason, in the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te, I referred to the care of the sick not only as an “important part” of the Church’s mission, but as an authentic “ecclesial action” (n. 49). I quoted Saint Cyprian to illustrate how this dimension serves as a measure of a society’s health: “This pestilence and plague, which seems so horrible and deadly, searches out the righteousness of each one, and examines the minds of the human race, to see whether the healthy serve the sick; whether relatives love each other with sincerity; whether masters have pity on their sick servants; whether doctors do not abandon the sick who beg for help.”
“To be one in the One” means truly recognizing that we are members of a single Body that brings the Lord’s compassion to the suffering of all people, each according to our own vocation. [9] Moreover, the pain that moves us to compassion is not the pain of a stranger; it is the pain of a member of our own Body, to whom Christ our Head commands us attend, for the good of all. In this sense, our service is identified with Christ’s own suffering and, when offered in a Christian spirit, hastens the fulfillment of the Savior’s prayer for the unity of all.
3. Always driven by love for God, to encounter ourselves and our neighbor
In the double commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” ( Lk 10:27), we recognize the primacy of love for God and its direct consequences for every dimension of human love and relationship. “Love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God, as the Apostle John attests: ‘No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us… God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them’ ( 1 Jn 4:12, 16).” Although the object of this love differs – God, neighbor and oneself – and can be understood as distinct expressions of love, they remain fundamentally inseparable. The primacy of divine love implies that human action is carried out not for self-interest or reward, but as a manifestation of a love that transcends ritual norms and find expression in authentic worship. To serve one’s neighbor is to love God through deeds.
This perspective also allows us to grasp the true meaning of loving ourselves. It means setting aside any attempt to base our self-esteem or sense of dignity on worldly stereotypes – such as success, career, status or family background – and recovering our proper place before God and neighbor. Benedict XVI observed, “as a spiritual being, the human creature is defined through interpersonal relations. The more authentically he or she lives these relations, the more his or her own personal identity matures. It is not by isolation that man establishes his worth, but by placing himself in relation with others and with God.”
Dear brothers and sisters, “the true remedy for humanity’s wounds is a style of life based on fraternal love, which has its root in love of God.” I genuinely hope that our Christian lifestyle will always reflect this fraternal, “Samaritan” spirit – one that is welcoming, courageous, committed and supportive, rooted in our union with God and our faith in Jesus Christ. Enkindled by this divine love, we will surely be able to give of ourselves for the good of all who suffer, especially our brothers and sisters who are sick, elderly or afflicted.
Let us raise our prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick, asking her to assist all who suffer and are in need of compassion, consolation and a listening ear. Let us seek her intercession with this ancient prayer, that has been invoked in families for those living with illness and pain:
Sweet Mother, do not part from me.
Turn not your eyes away from me.
Walk with me at every moment
and never leave me alone.
You who always protect me
as a true Mother,
obtain for me the blessing of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit.
Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing. You reign now in heaven with Jesus our King.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Maria!
In heaven the blessed your glory proclaim; On earth we your children invoke your fair name.
We pray for our Mother, the Church upon earth, And bless, Holy Mary, the land of our birth.
may rejoice in unfailing health of mind and body,
and, through the glorious intercession of Blessed Mary ever-Virgin, may
we be set free from present sorrow
and come to enjoy eternal happiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. (Masses of the BVM; Health of the Sick)