11th February 2026

Today is celebrated by many as the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes. It was on this date in 1858 that the Virgin Mary was said to have appeared to a 14-year-old French peasant girl, Benadette, in a cave. She experienced the same vision on several subsequent occasions until she was told to dig to find a spring of water. This water was supposed to have healing qualities and soon people began going to Lourdes to seek healing, and they have been going ever since.

I visited Lourdes many years ago (1952!) and well remember all the discarded crutches being displayed, left by people who had apparently been cured. I am still not sure what to make of this!

We read in the gospels many stories of miracle healing, but do they still happen today? And can we be part of what is after all a healing ministry. Last week Ruth reminded us that healing can take many forms. We don’t have to experience visions or dig down to find hidden springs, but in so many ways we can bring both comfort and healing in the widest sense to people. Then there are the professional healers – the ‘medics’. Let us remember to thank God in our prayers for their skills and dedication.

David T Roberts