BernadetteApparitions2

Hearing Bernadette relate what had occurred, her parents were distressed - not least of all by the strange promise made by the mysterious Lady. Until now, they had thought this was simply the product of a child's imagination... But now the Lady had spoken - and what words! If this was a real Lady, then who could it be? They considered that the child's description matched that of the Queen of Heaven. They immediately discounted this as a possibility; Bernadette was not worthy of such a grace. And the Mother of God would surely not appear in such a lowly place as the Grotto of Massabieille. Was it perhaps a souls from Purgatory? Or - most terrifying of all - was it the evil one? Why would She give no name? What did this mean?   They sought the advice of the wise Aunt Bernarde.

"If the vision is of Heavenly nature," said Bernarde, "we have nothing to fear. If it is some trickery of the devil, it is not possible that the Virgin should allow a child who trusts Her with such innocence of heart to be deceived. Moreover, we ourselves have done wrong in not going to Massabieille with her to see what is really taking place there. This we must do before anything else and then we shall be able to form an opinion based upon the facts themselves and decide upon a future line of action."

And so, the next morning, Bernadette was accompanied to the Grotto by both her parents and by her aunt, again leaving the house before dawn. Despite the precautions they took to remain unseen, some neighbors did see the small group - and began to follow. Eight people arrived at the Grotto along with the Soubirous.   Bernadette knelt and began her Rosary. All present noted how impressively this was made. Moments later her plain face was transfigured and illuminated; she no longer belonged to the world.   Louise had already heard how Bernadette's countenance was changed in the presence of the Lady - but still she found the change hard to believe.

The ecstasy lasted thirty minutes, after which Bernadette rubbed her eyes and appeared as one waking from a sleep. She remained happy after the conclusion of the vision.   On the way home, Bernadette said that the Lady had expressed Her satisfaction at the child's fidelity to her promise to return to the Grotto; She also said that later She would reveal secrets to the child.   Bernadette also related that during the vision, she had heard loud, quarreling voices, which had seemed to rise up out of the river, telling her to escape. The Lady also heard the commotion; She had simply raised Her eyes in the direction of the voices, which were then seized with fear and began to disperse, finally fading away altogether. No one paid much attention to this incidental detail at the time - only much later did they recall what Bernadette had told them that morning.

By now the entire town of Lourdes knew what was reported to be happening at the Grotto of Massabieille; only a few people, however, had actually seen Bernadette in ecstasy before the vision in the niche. By the morning of the fifth apparition, the people present numbered several hundred, whereas previously there had been only a few dozen.

Accompanied by her mother Louise, Bernadette approached the Grotto at half past six in the morning. She paid no attention to the crowds gathered there to witness what was to occur. She knelt upon the small rock which served her as a prie-dieux, which had become her usual place, and which was always left for her, no matter how many were present. She began her Rosary. Seconds later, the ecstasy began.

"I must be out of my mind, for I simply can't recognise my own daughter!", such was the grace and charm of Bernadette's every movement. The crowd was straining for a glimpse of the little visionary. They shifted their eyes from the young girl to the niche which so captivated her gaze. They, however, could see nothing but the moss at the base of the niche and the long trailing rose bush.

After the vision had ceased, Lousie questioned Berndatte about what had happened during the ecstasy. Bernadette said the Lady had very kindly taught her a prayer for her personal use; She had taught this word by word until Bernadette remembered it all. Asked to repeat the prayer, the girl said she did not think herself at liberty to do so, since the prayer had been composed by the Lady with the seer's personal needs in mind. She appeared somewhat embarrassed in relating this. Until the day she died, Bernadette never related this personal prayer to any living soul, although she maintained that she prayed it every single day without fail.

On this day there occurred an indication of the purpose of the apparitions. A cold wind was blowing that morning, as Bernadette arrived at the Grotto in the company of her mother and her aunt. The crowds were greater than they had been so far. Notably absent were the members of the clergy. In Lourdes there was an establishment called the Saint John's Club. Here, the local free-thinkers would gather and discuss issues of the day, often forming conclusions on events. Of course, one such issue was the events at Massabieille. The members of the club had already made a conclusion on this particular event; the occurrences were nothing more than the product of a neurotic imagination in an unstable adolescent.

Of course, these men had not taken the time or trouble to witness the events first-hand. This situation was rectified the following morning. One of this circle, Dr. Dozous, had decided to pay a visit to the Grotto.

Dr. Dozous was not an especially religious man; in fact, quite the opposite. He was a man of science, which - he believed - held all the answers. What need was there for religion? After the events of that cold February morning, he changed his opinions somewhat; he championed the cause of Bernadette and of the Immaculate Conception, and wrote books on the miracles he later encountered at the Grotto. He died a good death on 15th March 1884, aged eighty-five.