The perfectly preserved body of Saint Bernadette is one of the exceptional cases in medicine. Since August 3, 1925, it has been displayed in a crystal reliquary in the chapel of the Saint-Gilard monastery in Nevers, 260 kilometers from Paris.
It is “as if petrified,” as forensic doctors and civil and ecclesiastical authorities described it during the exhumations of 1909, 1919, and 1925.
The extraordinarily well-preserved body of Saint Bernadette inspires those who see it to imitate the Saint's life and take seriously the message that Our Lady entrusted to her.
In the land of humility, the most beautiful flowers bloom
Bernadette's humility is striking: the house where she was born on January 7, 1844, was humble and poor. Her entire life was humble. She grew up in a close-knit family where everyone loved one another and prayed together, as Father Gianni Toni emphasizes in the Shalom book “LOURDES Novenas to Saint Bernadette.” The subsequent descent into poverty would not erase this human wealth within her. Bernadette was an ordinary girl: illiterate, in fragile health, and not especially devout. At 14, on February 11, 1858, while gathering firewood at the Massabielle grotto, she saw a Lady «of incomparable beauty, dressed all in white, with a rose on each foot, her hands clasped». She saw her 17 more times, until July 16, 1858. After the apparitions ended, Bernadette crossed the threshold of the motherhouse of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity: «I have come here to hide» she said. She would carry out all her duties with gentleness and generosity.
Awareness of one’s own misery
Aware of her own misery, she said, referring to her stubbornness: “I would like people to mention the saints’ faults as well and what they did to correct themselves. This would be much more useful than their miracles and ecstasies.”
Meanwhile, the illness progressed relentlessly: on December 11, 1878, she was permanently confined to bed: “I am being ground down,” said the saint, “like a grain of wheat.”
She died at the age of 35. Even her final words embody all her humility together with her great faith. She said: “My God, I love you. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, poor sinner, poor sinner.”
“It is because I was the poorest and most ignorant that the Blessed Virgin chose me,” Bernadette had said. Her humility, clarity, immense trust in God and Our Lady are an example for our lives.
If you would like to discover how to pray with Saint Bernadette every day, guided by her simple, radiant faith and her love for the Holy Rosary, we also recommend the book «Rosary with Saint Bernadette». A practical way to experience praying the Rosary in the company of one of the most beloved saints.
What thoughts does the life of Saint Bernadette inspire in you? You can share them in the comments.
