Even before Our Lady chose her

It was not her meeting with the Virgin Mary that made young Bernadette a saint—the little shepherdess was already a saint before the apparitions took place. This conclusive and inspiring perspective comes out of a book by Father René Laurentin about the life of Saint Bernadette Soubirous entitled Une petite vie (A Little Life).

Father Laurentin, a French priest and theologian (1917-2017), was an expert on Marian apparitions, particularly the Lourdes apparitions. He wrote in this book that Bernadette gave several accounts of the story of the apparitions and had to write down her testimonial seven times by hand! Laurentin endeavored to blend these seven versions into one narrative.

A portrait emerges: Bernadette was so removed from the marvelous or miraculous that in her naivety she reported the "name" that the "Lady" gave her in response to her request, without even comprehending its meaning: “I am the Immaculate Conception” (Immaculada Counceptiou). Then for eight years, Bernadette faced interrogations from civil and religious authorities. Today we would call it harassment. But the ordeal never fazed her. She remained calm, poised, precise, able to catch trick questions—and sometimes gently mocking—just like Saint Joan of Arc before her judges. “I have been asked to tell you about it, not to make you believe it.”

The book tells the story of her short and simple life and is punctuated by bold and surprising assertions of her biographer, supported by strong evidence. One is that Bernadette is to Lourdes what Mary is to the Church. Laurentin’s research is convincing—even before Our Lady chose her, "this poor girl" was already a saint. She prayed a lot, didn’t complain about the misfortunes that befell her as a child, was ready to accept anything, and complied her will to the will of God early on.

Adapted from Aleteia

Read also: Bernadette of Lourdes: A Life Based on Authenticated Documents by Father René Laurentin