|
If you love reading books, don't miss reading this one, "The Song Of Bernadette" written by Franz Werfel. It is a beautiful, magnificent book that will just fill your heart with wonder. I love this book and I thoroughly enjoyed my read. This book will touch you in many ways and will lift your spirits up. Truly moving and life-changing. The story of "The Song Of Bernadette" is an inspiration.
The book is about the story of a simple peasant girl who lived in the little town of Lourdes, France. In February 11, 1858 while gathering firewood at the foot of the hill in Massabielle (the rock) with her sister Marie and a classmate named Jean Abadie, the 14-year old Bernadette Soubirous, saw an apparition of a lady with incomparable beauty at the mouth of the rock. At first the girl did not know who the beautiful lady was, she only know that the beautiful lady is bathed in light, with 2 roses at her feet, and carrying a long rosary with white pearly beads on her right arm. That was the start of the first apparition that shook the world.
The beautiful lady appeared 18 times to the little peasant girl during the following weeks. On one of the Lady's appearance to Bernadette, she instructed the peasant girl "to drink in the spring and wash in the water". Since there was no water to be found, Bernadette scratch the earth located at the right side of the grotto and drank the little puddle of water she found below the earth's surface. A day after that incident, a gush of spring water came out of that spot, of which today has brought forth the miraculous healing water of Lourdes. Bernadette was then instructed by the Lady on one of the apparitions "to go to the Priests and to tell them that a Chapel be built at the Grotto in Massabielle and for people to come there in processions". It was a frightening moment for Bernadette as the Priest Peyramale whom she told at that time, didn't believe her and ask her who the name of the Lady was and made a condition for the beautiful lady to do. The peasant girl Bernadette told the Lady everything the priest said. Bernadette didn't know the name of the beautiful lady yet but on the 16th apparition, the Lady revealed her name to Bernadette and said that "I am the Immaculate Concepcion".
At that time, the little peasant girl Bernadette faced enormous opposition from the town and the church. Many doubted her visions and told her time and time again to tell her story, repeat and tell the truth. Bernadette stood her ground amidst all the people who tried to break her. Time was her ally. The miraculous healings of the spring water that came out of the grotto in Lourdes and the many events that supported Bernadette's claim to be true finally made the Bishop of Tarbes declared the apparitions to be genuine.
Bernadette then became one of the sisters in the Convent of St. Gildarde Of Nevers. She died on april 16 at the age of 35. Her body when it was exhumed had been found to be incorrupted. And in 1925, she was canonized among the Saints in heaven. As of today, [http://zbhlms.blogspot.com/2008/04/st-bernadette.html]St. Bernadette's incorrupted body lies in a glass reliquary in the Convent of Gildarde of Nevers, France.
|
