These words of St Francis de Sales invite us to throw ourselves into the loving arms of Our Blessed Lady and find a place under the protection of her mantle or cloak. They invite us to trust in the power of her prayer of intercession as she brings our prayers to Jesus. We see this confidence – from the Latin con + fiducia – with trust– daily here in Lourdes as people bring their petitions, needs, and prayers to Our Blessed Lady. The fingering and murmurings of the rosary is a sign of the deep faith of God’s holy people in the intercession of Mary who is the Mother of God. We can say, we come ‘Through Mary to Jesus’ along with St Louis de Montfort.

In our Mass today we honour Mary, Health of the Sick. Often invoked in times of plague and pestilence, Pope Francis implored her intercession during the COVID-19 crisis five years ago. I am sure many of you remember the sight of him, a solitary figure, praying in an empty St. Peter’s Square in the pouring rain for us and the world as we faced with terrible uncertainty the COVID pandemic. Many of you will carry scars of that time, whether long-term sickness, grief for family members who were unable to have proper funerals, or perhaps the trauma of lockdown and its lasting social and relational effects. We turn to Mary, Health of the Sick today and ask her help.

The Prayer of the Memorare is a prayer that places our trust in Mary as we ‘fly to her’ in all our needs. We recall the prayer,

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, 
that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, 
implored your help, or sought your intercession, 
was left unaided. 
Inspired by this confidence, 
I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. 
To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. 
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, 
despise not my petitions, 
but in your mercy, hear and answer me.
Amen.

I like the words, ‘anyone who fled to your protection’, ‘I fly unto You’, because they capture our desire to be with her.

Mary was already ready to listen to the needs of those around her. At the wedding feast of Cana, she heard the needs of embarrassed hosts when the wine ran out. They have no wine, and she asks Jesus for help. His miracle gives litres and litres of the best wine and is a sign of the abundance of God’s action and blessing when there is great need.

Mary sees Jesus carrying his cross and falling. When she meets him on the road to Calvary, she is filled with a mother’s compassion and love and would have prayed for him. As she feels the pain of her suffering son, so she stands with us in our suffering.

After the road to Calvary, Mary stands at the foot of the cross and is at the side of Jesus as he breathes his last breath. She unites herself with the suffering of Jesus and stands firm in faith. Just as mothers stand by their children when they are in difficulty, in prison or sick, Mary stands close to those who are dying. Help us, O Blessed Mary, to be firm in trial and tribulation and hear the pleas of your people.  

Jesus has called us to become holy and enter into his eternal glory. The path of holiness involves carrying the cross and being close to one’s own suffering or the suffering of others. Here we touch the wounds of Christ, as we do in our suffering brothers and sisters. Jesus promises that by his wounds we can be healed and promises the gift of the resurrection. He takes away our sicknesses and carries our burdens. Sometimes it is a full healing, at other times it is help on the path of life.

Each of us can be like Simon of Cyrene or Veronica towards those who are sick. Usually, we think of Simon carrying the foot of the cross and walking behind Jesus. A picture which I like shows Jesus and Simon of Cyrene standing alongside each other with the cross across their shoulders. This is a wonderful model of how we walk together in Lourdes and bear the crosses of others with Mary’s help.

Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us.

St. Bernadette, pray for us.

+John Sherrington