Bernadette described the Blessed Virgin to others as โthe beautiful lady.โ She was beautiful in every way, not just physically. She was beautiful in the way she smiled at Bernadette, beautiful in the way she spoke to her with such tenderness and love.
It is hardly surprising that Mary should be beautiful, given that during the last apparition on March 25, 1858, she revealed her name in this way: โI am the Immaculate Conception.โ Is this not the greatest beauty of Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of Jesus? She was without sin from the first moment of her existence. She was preserved by God at the first moment of her conception from every stain of original sin. We call her Mary most holy. Her holiness was perfect. Thatโs why sheโs the greatest of all the saints, the Queen of All Saints.
Our Lady of Lourdes, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, and Comforter of the Afflicted, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
