On the third day of the pilgrimage, the gathering of pilgrims from the Western Association of Order of Malta attended a workshop at a modern building on the grounds of the Shrine, laid out in a theatre style intended for lectures and conferences.
The presenter, Dan Fields, MD, explored with the group the curious intersection between science and faith in order to explain the unexplainable -- in other words a miracle. Over the course of religious pilgrimages to Lourdes there have been more than 70 cures that according to medical professionals cannot be explained and which religious authorities assert is a miracle that gives glory to the almighty and merciful God.
Now, some may quibble, that 70 seems like a small number. Yes, it is. These are the cases that have been formally submitted to the Lourdes Basilica for validation. The Basilica has a medical office that carefully and rigorously reviews such cases based on various criteria, among which are: there was no medical explanation for the cure; the cure was sudden and long-lasting; there were no medical interventions that could have played a role in the cure; There are other criteria besides. This is as far as the medical review will go, only to say that there is no scientific explanation for the cure.
In the protocol followed at Lourdes, the medical investigative team then relays their conclusions to the Bishop of Tarbes, currently the Most Rev. Jean Marc Micas. If the Bishop of Tarbes, upon reviewing the conclusions of the Basilica’s medical team, concludes that it is a miracle, he then sends his discernment to the bishop of the diocese where the individual claiming the miraculous cure resides. If the local bishop of the beneficiary of the cure concurs with the Bishop of Tarbes, then the miracle is added to the list of Lourdes miracles.
The role of the bishops in this careful protocol is to discern the hand of God in what science cannot explain. More than the inexplicable nature of the event, there must be evidence of divine grace that encourages faith and lifts the soul to praise God the Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord. All of this takes time and patience. This is not due to skepticism. Rather, it comes from an appreciation of how God’s revelation matures, grows and bears fruit. It is not the event by itself. It must be seen as part of God’s saving plan, leading the beneficiary and others to God.
This follows the pattern of the miracles of Jesus. In the Gospel narrative of John, the miracles of Jesus were called signs because the miracles always pointed beyond themselves to the Father’s merciful desire that all would know salvation through His beloved Son, Jesus.
Psalm 118 also speaks to the ways by which God works in our lives: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.” (Ps 118: 22-24) What seems unexpected and the unexplainable to us, happens because it is expected and explainable for God. His wisdom and mercy is always at the heart of every moment of our lives.
There may be those extraordinary moments and surprising developments that draw our attention to him, but all our existence is enveloped by his mysterious, merciful providence. Psalm 118 speaks to how the wisdom and mercy of God constantly confounds us, surprises us. Yet, he is always the Good Shepherd, who “guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Ps 23: 3-4) We may spend a lifetime learning this: how close the Good Shepherd is to us, how sure is the staff that leads us.
While the process examining miraculous cures is justifiably rigorous, the days in Lourdes open the hearts and minds of the sick and all the pilgrims to nearness of the wisdom and mercy of God. The common wisdom learned at the Lourdes Grotto is that all will find healing in the way that God’s wisdom chooses, “let us rejoice in it and be glad.”