By Christina Hermoso
A Catholic Church leader has called on the faithful “to invoke the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, the patron saint of the sick, in these times of sickness and calamities.”
Balanga, Bataan Bishop Ruperto C. Santos said, the Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, will protect mankind from all sickness and natural disasters.
Bishop Ruperto Santos
(CBCP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Yes, there are sickness, violence, and disasters, but with the apparition and feast of our Blessed Mother Mary whom we lovingly invoke as Our Lady of Lourdes, we are reminded with these three realities in our life with God: these are hope, help and healing,” Santos said.
The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which coincides with the World Day of the Sick, will be observed Tuesday, February 11. The theme for the World Day of the Suck will be “Come to me, all you who are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
“This year’s feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is particularly significant as we invoke her loving intercession and maternal protection against the 2019 novel Corona virus (nCoV),” the bishop said. “With the recurring happenings, there is nothing to fear. We should not be afraid because God is still in control of everything. Our God is powerful. He will overcome all those calamities. He will hand in all the cures and solutions. God will take good care of us. He will make us whole again,” he added,
The Church leader reminded the faithful to keep the faith and to put their complete trust in the Lord amid all the problems.
“Hope in Him. God listens. He attends to our needs and petitions and He helps. Remember, whatever we are in, there is still hope, help, and healing. And these will all come from God, our God,” Santos stressed.
According to stories, the Holy Mother, wearing a white dress with a blue belt, a rosary in her hands, and two golden roses at her feet, appeared to a poor and sickly girl, St. Bernadette, at least 16 times starting on Feb. 11, 1858 at the Cave of Massabielle in Lourdes. She asked her to pray the Holy Rosary for the conversion of sinners, to build a chapel on the site of the apparitions, and to drink from a spring of miraculous water nearby. The Blessed Mother introduced herself as the “Immaculate Conception.”
The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes has been celebrated worldwide since 1907, making it one of the oldest feasts in the Church calendar.