Week 6
(Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes)

From the Medal to the Grotto:
Readiness and Care

The Sacred Rhythm of Serving

Ordinary Time is usually the season of the supermarket trip, the washing up, and the quiet rhythm of the workday. But today, we pause at a place of deep healing and profound reality. February 11th marks the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

It is a moment where the grace of the Medal meets the reality of human fragility. When Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in the Grotto, the young girl was actually wearing a Miraculous Medal. Bernadette later remarked that the “Lady” in the grotto looked exactly like the figure on the medal she wore.

This link reminds us that the “ordinary graces” we carry—patience, awareness, and health—are given to us for a purpose. They are not just for our own comfort. The Medal is a call to recognize that sickness is a natural part of the human story, and those of us currently blessed with health are called to be the strength for those who are struggling.

We look at the connection between the Medal and the Grotto as a call to practical, hands-on charity.

We look at four ways the “Ready Heart” travels with us:

• The Journey of Acceptance: The Grotto at Lourdes reminds us that illness and frailty are woven into the fabric of life. We often try to look away from sickness, but the Medal calls us to look closely with love. Accepting that fragility is part of life helps us move from fear to compassion.
• The Journey of Gratitude: If we are currently experiencing good health, it is a gift to be cherished, not just “luck.” The rays of grace on the Medal remind us to be grateful for the strength we have today. This gratitude should not make us proud, but humble—knowing that our health is a tool to be used for others.
• The Journey of Comfort: Just as Mary appeared to Bernadette to offer hope, we are called to be a presence of comfort. The Medal was not just decoration for Bernadette; it was armor for her mission. We are called to reach out to the sick, not necessarily to cure them, but to ensure they do not suffer in isolation.
  
  
• The Journey of Hands-On Love: Lourdes is a place of physical touch—water, stone, and service. Our faith cannot remain in our heads. The image on the Medal calls us to a practical charity: cooking a meal, visiting a hospital, or sitting by a bedside.

Scripture: Matthew 25:35–36

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

Prayer

O Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes and Mother of the Medal, who appeared to St. Bernadette with a message of prayer and penance;

Teach us the practical love shown at the Grotto.

Help us to accept that sickness is a part of our human journey, and give us hearts of gratitude for the health we enjoy today.

Inspire us to care for the sick and the lonely in our own community, not from a distance, but with presence and love.

Through the rays of grace from your hands, make our hearts ready to return to your Son. Amen.

Personal Action: The Way of Care

Transform your routine into a deliberate “Ministry of Presence,” realizing that your health is a gift meant to be shared.

• The “Touchstone” of Service: Before you act or speak, touch the back of your Medal. Give thanks for your physical health and ask for the grace to use your energy to help someone who has less strength than you.
  
  
• For the “Care Giver”: In honor of Our Lady of Lourdes, perform a practical act of care for someone who is ill, elderly, or housebound. This could be a visit, a phone call to break their silence, or dropping off a meal.
• The “Lenten Preparation”: Spend 10 minutes in quiet reflection with your Medal. As we approach Lent, ask yourself: What is one habit I can give up to make more time for others? What is one act of service I can take up to draw closer to the suffering Christ?