Today I read more from Our Lady of Lourdes, and this part made me love Bernadette even more.
The book said she had never really been taught the catechism yet, and that she knew only a few prayers: the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Glory Be, which she prayed in her chaplet. That was nearly all she knew.
At first I felt sorry for her, because I have Sister Mary Claire to explain so many holy things to me. She tells me what Father LeRoy means in his homilies, and she helps me understand the catechism when the words seem too large for my head. But Bernadette did not have all that yet. She was poor, weak, and little, and she had not even made her First Communion.
Then I thought how beautiful it was that Our Lady came to her anyway.
Heaven did not wait until Bernadette knew many lessons. Our Lady did not choose her because she could explain everything. She chose a humble girl who knew how to kneel, how to make the Sign of the Cross, and how to say the little prayers she had been taught.
That made me think a long while.
Sometimes I want to know everything all at once, especially when Sister Mary Claire reads from her old books and the words seem so high and holy. But maybe Jesus is pleased when we give Him the little we have, if we give it with our whole heart.
Bernadette’s family brought her back to Lourdes because they wanted her to learn her catechism and prepare for her First Communion, even though they were very poor. I think that is so touching. They did not have much to give her, but they wanted her to have Jesus.
That is the greatest gift.
Tonight I am thinking of Bernadette saying her Our Father, Hail Mary, I believe in God, and Glory Be. Maybe those prayers sounded very sweet in Heaven because they came from a simple heart.
Bernadette's Four Prayers
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