Bernadette's Legacy
Guest post from Alli Bobzien at The Pondering Heart
Note from Renée: I’m so excited to share a guest post today by Alli Bobzien at The Pondering Heart.
Alli and I met last summer at the Ignatian Creators Summit convened by the ingenious Ignatians at Jesuit Media Lab. Alli introduced the idea of Substack-swapping to our cohort, and, since she wowed our group with her Marian-inflected poetry, she and I decided a Marian feast day would be a fitting day to share each other’s writing.
You can follow her work and read my contribution at The Pondering Heart.
When my daughter started attending “Mother’s Day Out” at our parish, she struggled with goodbyes at drop-off. Her steps would slow, her little hand would squeeze mine tightly, and the tears would well in her eyes.
Our walk to the drop-off door passed through a tiny outdoor chapel, more of a gazebo, that houses two beautiful stained-glass windows. One depicts Christ and the other Mary, and since they each face east, each morning the light shone through them as we passed. I would attempt to distract my little girl from her growing concerns of goodbyes by brightly greeting each window with “Good morning, Jesus! Good morning, Mama Mary!”
After a few days of these salutations, my daughter began her own practice of colloquy[1]. She would climb up on the bench in front of the stained-glass window, lay her chubby hand atop Mary’s, and tell her what was on her mind. Her sweet baby voice would weave between unintelligible babble and snatches of phrases such as, “Mama always comes back” and “not for long.” She was repeating the phrases with which we often reassured her and talking it all over with her Mama Mary. At the conclusion of their chat, my daughter would give Mary’s hand a little pat, then hop down and walk to the doorway of school, an added confidence to her step.
There was an added sweetness to her devotion and colloquy with Mary, because our parish is named for Saint Bernadette[2], another young woman who was deeply impacted by Our Blessed Lady.
Since I was not raised in the Catholic tradition, I previously held a certain level of skepticism towards aspects of the faith like saintly miracles, visions, and pilgrimages to sacred locations. These mystical experiences seemed harmless, but suspect. I have always been wary of religious practices that veer too close to, what I would deem, emotional manipulation. My mind served as the shield behind which my more easily swayed emotions hid.
But Bernadette Soubrious changed my mind.
An uneducated, sickly child living in dire poverty, when she began having visions of The Lady in the grotto, Bernadette was not the obvious choice to start a worldwide conversion and pilgrimage movement. As I read her story, it was not the reports of doctors, psychiatrists, policemen, priests, or even the Church authorities that impacted me; it was her gentle but firm replies to the interrogations of these adults. Bernadette possessed what many would call a “child-like faith,” but her responses to those who tried to silence her rang with strength and conviction. Having seen The Lady in the Grotto of Lourdes, Bernadette was inspired to courage and peaceful persistence.
Various reports emphasize her simple and lucid explanations of her mystical experiences. She was not defensive, but she was firm in her responses to those who questioned the validity of her visions. After being interrogated by the local police, the report she had provided was read back to her. She kept interrupting the officer to inform him where he misquoted her, much to the officer’s chagrin. By her account, this went on for over an hour. When the Imperial Prosecutor interrogated her, she repeated the practice of correction with a steady “no” when misquoted. After some time, the Imperial Prosecutor threatened her by stating that this report differed from her former one to the local authorities. Bernadette calmly replied, “If the Police Commissioner made mistakes, that is his problem.”[3]
She was fifteen at the time of this interview. Going head-to-head with civil authorities, threatened with prison, and bold as brass. Bernadette Soubrious is my kind of woman.
While much of her writing in the years after her visions speak to the modesty and grace with which she lived, her ability to marry humility of spirit with boldness in action inspires me. I think most mystics need a strong backbone to carry the weight of the skeptics, and Saint Bernadette’s intertwined nature of tenderness and strength illuminates this beautifully.
I think back to my daughter, gazing at the shining stained glass of Mama Mary, speaking to her and pouring out her worried heart, then straightening her little spine, blowing me a kiss, and marching towards the doorway. Mary’s presence, even in a small chapel’s window, inspired my daughter to vulnerability, then empowered her to bravery. This is the legacy of Saint Bernadette, bravery paired with a tender devotion to our Lady, and through Mary, her Son.
Thank you to Alli for sharing this beautiful reflection!
Learn more about Alli at Jesuit Media Lab and follow her writing at her Substack below.
P.S. Check out my upcoming playwriting 101 workshop at Jesuit Media Lab! Registration is limited but still open. Feel free to write to me if you’re interested and would like a discount code.
[1] “A colloquy is an intimate conversation between you and God the Father, between you and Jesus, or between you and Mary or one of the saints.” – The Ignatian Adventure by Kevin O’Brien, SJ
[2] Saint Bernadette’s Feast Day is celebrated on April 16th.
[3] ‘A Holy Life: St Bernadette of Lourdes’ by Patricia A. MacEachern. Page 20.
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