THE PASSION OF BERNADETTE

Bernadette Soubirous 

(7 January 1844 - 16 April 1879)

In April 1858, when the apparitions were still going on, the mayor of Lourdes, Mr. Lacade, offered Bernadette a decent job and accommodation. Bernadette, however, replied without hesitation that she wanted to become a nun. Bernadette's suitor, Raoul de Choisne from Tricqueville, a medical intern in Nantes, was very fond of her and wanted to marry her. However, she declined his proposal of marriage and ignored him completely because she has never thought of getting married. While the Grotto of Massabielle was flourishing with pilgrims after the apparitions, Bernadette did not take the opportunity to make a fortune out of her position as the visionary of Lourdes. Instead, she left Lourdes to enter the convent of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers and dedicated her whole life to God.

Bernadette was the oldest of nine children born to a poor miller and his wife. Five of her brothers and sisters died in infancy. The family of six lived in the Cachot, a damp and unhealthy former prison cell which belonged their cousin, Andre Sajous, who allowed them to stay there out of sympathy. Growing up in poverty, the years of malnutrition has taken a toll on Bernadette's health. At 1.40 metres (4 feet 7 inches) tall, her height was considerably below average. She contracted cholera at the age of 10 when the epidemic broke out in Lourdes and had since suffered from asthma and other illnesses. On 15 July 1860, she suffered another asthma attack and was taken to the hospice of Lourdes where she stayed until her departure for the convent of Saint Gildard in Nevers in 1866. Even though she was suffering from ill health, she continued with her studies at the hospice school and even helped out at the hospice. In March 1862, she was ill with pneumonia and by 28 April 1862, her condition had become so serious that she was given the Extreme Unction. Although she recovered after that, she had to struggle with illness all her life. From 1862 to 1866, she also spent considerable time recuperating in Cauterets, a town in south-western France surrounded by the Pyrenees mountains.

On 3 July 1866, Bernadette secretly dressed as a nun and visited the Grotto for the last time before she left her birthplace and never to return again. That day, she spent the evening with her family for the last time at Lacade Mill (Maison Paternelle de Bernadette). The next morning, her parents and two aunts, Bernarde and Basile, went to the hospice to say goodbye to her. Goodbye Lourdes, Bernadette would never come back again.

When Bernadette and her companions arrived in Nevers at 10 p.m. on 7 July 1866, Mother Marie-Therese Vauzou (the mistress of novices and later Mother Superior), was waiting for them in the parlor. Bernadette suddenly found herself in the presence of a woman who did not believe in apparitions and who would treat her harshly causing her to suffer emotionally throughout the 13 years of her life in the convent. The next day, she was made to recount her apparitions in front of the 300 nuns who lived there - that was the last time she was allowed to talk about the apparitions.

Mother Marie-Therese Vauzou was jealous of Bernadette because of the apparitions and continued to make life difficult for her and abuse her emotionally. "The girl is useless!" - these were the words that Bernadette had to put up with throughout her novitiate. The Saint's life was not a bed of roses as she had to endure more cruelty than the other novices during her novitiate but she willingly and patiently accepted God's will. She would say, "Mother Superior is right... I should try to improve myself" instead of defending herself and showing off that she was the visionary of Lourdes.

On 29 July 1866, Bernadette took the veil and was given the name Sister Marie-Bernard. About two weeks later, she fell ill again and was sent to the convent infirmary. On 25 October 1866, her condition  quickly worsened and the doctor said that she would not make it through the night. As Bernadette was already at the point of death, she had to take her vows in advance. The bishop of Nevers, Monsignor Forcade administered the Extreme Unction to her. As Bernadette was spitting out blood, she was unable to take her vows. The bishop had to recite them for her and Bernadette consented by nodding her head. But she recovered and her condition improved as she was saying "Amen!"

On 12 April 1870, Sister Marthe Forest became seriously ill and was bedridden. Even though Bernadette was often ill, she did not mind taking over her duties and assuming the role of head nurse, a position which she held for three years. On 19 July 1870, the French emperor, Napoleon III, declared war on Prussia. During that time, the convent infirmary was turned into a military hospital. In the months that followed, the convent infirmary was overflowed with sick and badly injured soldiers lying on stretchers. Blood wet the stretchers and the ground. Due to limited access to medical resources, the conditions in the infirmary were very bad and surgeons had to operate without anesthesia. Bernadette assisted them and did her best to help as a caregiver to the sick and wounded soldiers. Capable, efficient, and dedicated, her mere presence was a great comfort for them. Despite her poor health, her soul was filled with peace, joy, and serenity and she was really happy with her life as a nun.

In 1873, she was given the Extreme Unction for the third time because  her tuberculosis worsened but once again she escaped death by a hairbreadth. At the age of 29, she had already received the Extreme Unction three times. Although her right leg was causing her intense pain due to a swelling on her knee, she still managed to attend to her new duties as a sacristan in the chapel. From 1874 onward, Bernadette had been struggling with her illness. Exhausted by asthma and tuberculosis, she once said, "My job is to be sick." In 1875, she was admitted to the convent infirmary as a terminally ill patient and she never recovered again.

On 22 September 1878, Bernadette made her perpetual profession of faith. That was also the time when she had to endure the worst sufferings in her life. Her pulmonary tuberculosis had developed into tuberculosis of the knee with cavities on the bone. "Worn out and weary through her sufferings, she had all wasted away," said Father Cros. "For two years, she was subjected to such pain and torments of bone decay that her poor body became a receptacle for all the suffering in the world," commented Father Febre, the chaplain who supported her faithfully when she became fatally ill. Although many miraculous healings were reported after the apparitions, it seemed that the miracles of Lourdes were not intended for her. As what Our Lady of Lourdes said to her, "I cannot promise you happiness in this life but in the next." It was as though she was chosen to suffer until the day she died as her life was made up of a bitter trial of sufferings.

On 28 March 1879, Bernadette's condition deteriorated further and the Extreme Unction was administered to her for the fourth time. "The Passion of Christ touches me more when I read about it than when somebody describes it to me," Bernadette once said. In a way, her sufferings also mirrored the passion of Jesus, her master, whom she loved dearly with all her heart and soul. Like her master before her, she was dying in the agony of love. On 14 April 1879, she confided in Sister Leontine, "I'm crushed like a grain of wheat. I have never thought that I would have to suffer so much." This clearly showed how she struggled to live with the pain, torment, and sufferings throughout her life. However, despite her whole life of suffering, she remained brave and cheerful till the end.

Bernadette's final months on earth were the most agonizing moments in her life as she continued to suffer intensely until she was on the brink of despair. In the final moments of her life, she laid the crucifix upon her heart and said, "You are hanging on the Cross. Oh! How much I love you, my Jesus." At that instant, it was very obvious that she could see HIM. It was already nearing three o'clock in the afternoon on 16 April 1879 when Bernadette stretched out her arms in pain and cried loudly, "My God!" She then prayed with her companions and had twice repeated the words, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, a poor sinner." As Bernadette was about to breathe her last breath, her companions helped her to get out of bed and sit on an armchair. She asked for a drink, took a few sips, and then bowed her head and gently delivered up her spirit.

Bernadette passed away peacefully at the age of 35 on 16 April 1879 at 3 p.m., the time of Jesus' death. Although she died in great agony, she had accepted her sufferings bravely and willingly in fulfillment of Our Lady's request for penance. The news of her death spread rapidly. Crowds flocked unceasingly to Saint Gildard's Convent to see and venerate the remains of the woman who  did not like popularity and went there "to hide" 13 years ago in the belief that the world would soon forget her.

On 19 April 1879, Bernadette's body was placed in a double coffin of lead and oak and sealed in the presence of witnesses. The body was buried in the vault of a little chapel in the convent grounds dedicated to St. Joseph. However, when her body was exhumed for the first time on 22 September 1909, it was found to be well-preserved and incorrupt. The second exhumation took place on 3 April 1919 and the pathologists who performed the autopsy, Doctor Comte and Doctor Talon, came to similar conclusions as their predecessors. On 18 April 1925, Bernadette's body was exhumed for the third time. According to the autopsy report, her body was in a relatively good state of preservation, there was no smell of body decomposition and her internal organs were in perfect condition. Beatified on 14 June 1925, Bernadette was canonized by Pope Pius XI on 8 December 1933.

Bernadette's memories did not end with her death. Many miracles have been attributed to her. So much has been written about this poor shepherd girl who only wanted to live an ordinary life like everyone else. Today, she lies in a bronze and crystal casket in the chapel of Saint Gildard's Convent in Nevers, where millions of pilgrims come to venerate her every year. Her feast day is celebrated on 16 April.

The message of Our Lady to Bernadette was clear and simple - poverty, prayer, and penance were the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

You may also like to read The Message of Lourdes, The Value of Suffering, and THE WONDERS OF LOURDES: 150 MIRACULOUS STORIES. To view the content page of this blog please click here.


References:
1.  Bernadette Recounts Her Apparitions by Antonio Bernardo. Doucet Publications - Lourdes.
2.  Discover Lourdes. MSM
3.  Lourdes: Apparitions, Message, Pilgrimage. MSM.
4.  Lourdes: From Vision to Pilgrimage. MSM.
5.  Lourdes: History. Doucet Editions.
6.  Lourdes: In Bernadette's Footsteps by Father Joseph Bordes. MSM.