Visit to the Lourdes Cave (14 August 1983)

On Sunday, 14 August 1983, the Holy Father visited the Lourdes Cave at Massabielle, where the Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Bernadette, where he spoke of the world's need for conversion.

God be blessed! May God be blessed, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, for having prepared here, for the Bigorre and the Pyrenees, for France, for the entire Church, such a place of prayer, of meeting of believers, of reconciliation! God be blessed for having made the little fountain of Massabielle spring up here, 125 years ago, at the same time, a living fountain where faith is revived, where bodies and souls are healed, where the meaning of the Church is strengthened! God be blessed for having accomplished this, once again, through the Virgin Mary, who attracts the crowds here, as she did Bernadette, to lead them to Christ! Blessed be Our Lady, who obtains so many graces for us and who allowed me, after the attack from which I was saved, to come here to drink from this fountain, and here to gather the faithful, according to the mission of universal Pastor entrusted to the Apostle Peter.

And to you, dear Brothers and Sisters, thank you for responding in large numbers to the call of this pilgrimage; thank you for everything you have prepared; Thank you for your welcome. In addition to Monsignor Donze, the beloved Bishop of this place, — whom I thank for his touching tribute of welcome — I greet the Episcopate of France and all the Bishops who from numerous countries have joined them! I greet the priests who find here a privileged place for their ministry of faith education, prayer and reconciliation, and in a special way I greet the chaplains who encourage pilgrimages every day. I greet the religious men and women, the consecrated people, whose testimony of gratuitous love is essential within the Church! I greet the people and associations that dedicate themselves to serving sick pilgrims in this sanctuary. I greet all the faithful, the fathers and mothers of the family, the elderly, the sick and the sick who must always occupy a position of honor in this place. I greet the poor of all kinds, for whom the Marian city of Lourdes must be particularly welcoming, as Monsignor Rodhain, founder of Socorro Católico and the city of São Pedro, did. I greet the young people, remembering the young Bernadette whom the Virgin addressed with so much kindness, respect and trust. I greet everyone who came here to live their faith, or in search of faith and the improvement of the soul.

With all of you, I become a pilgrim.

On this earth, we are always, in a certain way, pilgrims and wayfarers, as St. Peter said (cf. 1 Pet . 2, 11). And I come to live with you a typical pilgrimage journey, in a very simple way, through the gestures and manifestations of piety that every day demonstrate its evangelical and ecclesial authenticity, its adaptation to people and crowds, its spiritual fecundity. I had really wanted this pilgrimage. God grant me today among you.

What message, what Good News, can I tell you this afternoon, to guide all our steps?

I will simply say: The sinless Virgin comes to the aid of sinners .

1. The Virgin, Our Lady of Lourdes! Tomorrow, we will celebrate her in her resurrected glory, associated in her body and soul with the heavenly life of her Son. The woman clothed with divine life like the sun and crowned with stars, to speak like the Apocalypse. To Bernadette, she appeared radiant with this happiness, but she was more reminiscent of the young girl at the Annunciation, young, always young, younger than sin, as one of your writers, Georges Bernanos, clearly understood. It evoked the preludes to the Incarnation of Christ, the preparation for its coming with Baptism and Penance, Advent. And above all, she remembered the grace of her own Immaculate Conception, which had made her the predecessor sign of humanity rescued by Christ, preserving her from original sin, that is, this separation from God linked to all men since birth and which leaves in their hearts a tendency to suspicion, mistrust, disobedience, revolt, a break with God who never stopped loving them. The Virgin was soon established in a loving relationship with God.

2. Why then did she choose this apparition and this name to reveal herself here?

Let's say it very frankly: our world is in need of conversion . This is true at all times. In the middle of the 19th century, this need manifested itself in a particular way, in the incredulity of certain scientific environments, towards certain philosophies, or in practical life. Today, the very meaning of sin has partly disappeared, because the meaning of God has been lost. It was thought to build a humanism without God, and faith is constantly in danger of appearing to be an originality of some people without a necessary function for the salvation of all. Consciences become dark, as in the time of the first sin, not distinguishing between good and evil. Many no longer know what sin is, or no longer dare to know it, as if this knowledge would alienate their own freedom. And yet, what admirable efforts our contemporaries make to develop the human capacities that God grants them, and to create better living conditions for themselves and others! But it remains difficult to convince this world of the misery of its own sin, and of the salvation that God offers it without ceasing in the reconciliation acquired by Redemption. And this is the entire journey that the Church has undertaken in this Jubilee Year of Redemption.

Now, the sinless Virgin here reminds us of this primordial need: like Bernadette, she tells us: pray for sinners, come and wash yourselves, purify yourselves, find new life. "Convert and believe in the Gospel." She gives these first words of Jesus in the Gospel ( Mk 1:15) a new relevance.

3. For, if Mary truly represents the enemy of Satan, the opposite of sin, she shows herself here to be the friend of sinners , like Christ who ate and lived among them, He is the "Holy One of God". This is the Good News that she gives again to this world, to each one of us. It is possible, it is beneficial, it is vital to find, find God's way again.

Yes, becoming aware of sin is possible, together with the awareness of God's merciful love or rather thanks to Him, as it is He who transforms the sinner's heart, makes him lucid and repentant. This is neither humiliating nor traumatizing, but it is liberating. Only pride makes him an obstacle. And Bernadette remembers, throughout her life, what Mary had proclaimed in the Magnificat : "He looked upon the lowliness of his servant... he exalted the humble" ( Luke 1:48-52). Apparently, the obstacles to conversion, interior and exterior, could seem insurmountable today. But everything is possible with God. It is a gift from God, which we will ask for. It passes from the fountain that springs, without realizing it, between Bernadette's fingers, and it will never stop flowing. You have to wash in it. "If your sins are red, they will become white as snow" ( Is . 1, 18). And it is necessary to approach him with humility, gestures of penance, prayer, the request for forgiveness : there are no other ways; This is what the prophets who preceded Christ announced, particularly John the Baptist; This is what Christ himself said; This is what the Church repeats and Mary who communicates his message to us, and Bernadette who transmits it to us in such a simple and faithful way.

This path of conversion and penance is especially in harmony with this Holy Year, in which we celebrate the Jubilee of Redemption . Christ died and rose again to take us out of the state of sin and give us new life. Furthermore, He gave God back to man and man to God. Lourdes is a place where this Redemption is undoubtedly understood better than in others, and where millions of pilgrims will experience this jubilee.

On the other hand, within a short time, in Rome, the Synod of Bishops will be held , convened by me to study the theme of Reconciliation and Penance, and which is currently being prepared in the dioceses. I consider this event very important. And I come to Lourdes to pray that this Synod will develop in the best possible way and produce many fruits throughout the Church. I entrust this intention to the Immaculate Conception. And I also entrust it to your prayers.

4. At this moment, Brothers and Sisters, let us prepare our hearts to meet the Lord, as Mary invites us; Let us prepare for the feast of the Assumption. And let us thank God for the grace he gives us in this place. For more than a century — has it not been precisely a hundred years since the first stone of the ancient basilica was laid? — the whole world has its eyes turned to Lourdes. Without a doubt, each country has its famous sanctuaries, where Mary's presence is particularly honored and invoked. I have already visited a certain number of them, as I am convinced that the Church must draw from these sources: I am obviously thinking of Czestochowa, but also Guadalupe, Ephesus, Fátima, Knoch in Ireland, Aparecida in Brazil, Montserrat and Zaragoza in Spain. , in Loreto and Pompeii in Italy.

It seems to me that there is a particular grace in Lourdes. The message is sober and simple but fundamental. It was transmitted in an especially strong, pure and transparent way, by a young woman with a clear and courageous soul. The signs are simple: the wind that recalls the Spirit of Pentecost, the water of purification and life, the light, the sign of the cross, the prayer of the rosary. From the beginning, Christians have been invited to come here in large numbers as a Church. And in fact, it is as if, here, human respect and all the difficulties — which often prevent conversion and religious expression — were naturally overcome. Here, we pray, we enjoy praying, being reconciled with God and venerating the Eucharist; the poor and the sick occupy a place of honor. It is an exceptionally graceful place. God be praised!

Let us praise Him with the words of Mary:

" Magnificat anima mea Dominum! "

"My soul glorifies the Lord! He has remembered his love"

Let us listen to the Lord tell us: "I love you, I never stopped loving you".

Let us listen to Him as He asks us, like Peter, the ever fundamental question: "Do you love? Do you love me?"

Without Him, without His presence, we would be unable to respond. But the Holy Spirit can vivify love and faith in us: Let us welcome the Spirit who came to Mary in fullness:

"The Almighty has done great things in me!"

" Magnificat anima mea Dominum. "

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