Mark 7:1-13 Our Lady of Lourdes

Statue of Virgin Mary in the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, France, Original statue sculpted by Joseph-Hugues Fabisch (1812-1886), Completed and installed in 1864, Polychrome painted stone © Alamy

Gospel Reading

At that time: When the Pharisees gathered to Jesus, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the market-place, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches. And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ And he said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.’ And he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, “Honour your father and your mother”; and, “Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.” But you say, “If a man tells his father or his mother, ‘Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban’ ” (that is, given to God) — then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.’

Reflection on the sculpture

The sculpture of Our Lady of Lourdes located in the grotto at Lourdes, France, was created by Joseph-Hugues Fabisch, a French sculptor known for his religious works. It was commissioned by the Bishop of Tarbes, Monsignor Laurence, following the apparitions of the Virgin Mary reported by Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. The sculpture was completed and installed in 1864, six years after the apparitions. The original was carved in stone and polychrome painted. Fabisch worked closely with Bernadette, who provided detailed descriptions of the Virgin Mary as she had seen her during the apparitions. Despite Fabisch’s best efforts to follow Bernadette’s descriptions, she later commented that the statue was beautiful but did not perfectly capture the Virgin Mary as she had experienced her in the visions. Bernadette said that Our Lady was even more beautiful and graceful than can ever be captured in a sculpture. She did however approve of the sculpture and prayers in front of tech sculpture. She died in 1879 (age 35 years), fifteen years after Beth sculpture was completed. The statue remains one of the most iconic representations of Our Lady of Lourdes and has become a focal point for millions of pilgrims who visit the site each year. Today we celebrate Our Lady of Lourdes, recalling a series of 18 appearances that the Blessed Virgin Mary made to a 14-year-old French peasant girl, Saint Bernadette Soubirous. The Marian apparitions happened in 1858 and received the local bishop's approval after a four-year inquiry. Bernadette left Lourdes in 1866, two years after the sculpture was installed, to join a religious order in central France, where she died after several years of illness in 1879. By the time of her death, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception had also been built already. This elaborate building in Gothic style emerges directly from the rock of Massabielle, and the altar is placed directly over the place of the apparitions. Lourdes is one of the busiest Christian pilgrimage sites in the world with around 5 million pilgrims visiting each year. Our Lady of Lourdes - Pray for us.

by Father Patrick van der Vorst