Mary's request regarding candles in Lourdes

As we go back through history, we see that caves have always served as natural shelters and have left their mark on the human imagination. Here at the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes (France), as at Bethlehem and the tomb at Gethsemane, the rock of the grotto has also sheltered the supernatural. Although she was uneducated, Bernadette knew this instinctively. Of this grotto, she said: "It was my Heaven."

Before this rocky formation, you too are invited to transcend your ordinary life and elevate your mind. Even if you do this out of curiosity, go inside this natural shelter: see how the rock is polished, gleaming from the rubbing of billions of soft touches. As you pass by, take the time to look at the ever-flowing spring on the left. Watching it flow and hearing its sound is soothing.

Near the grotto, millions of candles have been burning continuously since February 19, 1858, when Bernadette came here with a blessed candle in her hands until the end of the apparition. Before she left, the Virgin Mary asked Bernadette to let it burn inside the grotto. The same day, some people put other lighted candles in the indicated place. These candles have been renewed ever since, day in and day out, night and day, without interruption.

When the Bible evokes the state of sin in which humanity has found itself since Adam's fall, it often uses two images: that of captivity and that of darkness. In contrast, the salvation brought about by Jesus Christ is presented as deliverance and enlightenment. And to give a concrete sign of this, the priest blesses the fire and the light of the candles at the Easter Vigil, followed by the blessing of the water for baptism.

Translated from:

https://www.laquotidienne.fr/lourdes-poursuit-son-chemin-de-croix-2/