61. How I was healed at the miraculous baths in Lourdes, France

A single line from Sacred Scripture sets the tone: faith, hope, and love.

We invite you into a Mother’s Day Retreat reflection to remember the many crosses being carried by women around the world who have faced miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility, and the quiet ache of waiting, paired with a family pilgrimage tale that finds warmth on an icy road to Lourdes.

We start in Barcelona, standing under the rising spires of the famed and glorious Sagrada Familia Basilica, and trace our family’s drive through the Pyrenees during a brief military leave. The road is cold and winding, the arrival past midnight, and the intention simple: carry grief to a place where millions have asked for help. At the baths near the grotto, we reflect on the many reports of healing and the unreported healings that may have transpired, and we sit with what that gap teaches us about the hidden ways grace moves. The moment of immersion is raw—tears, cold water, and then an unexpected wave of consolation that does not cancel sorrow but steadies it.

Nine months later, a child’s birth reframes the journey as a sign of hope rather than a formula for results. We talk about how God meets us in our suffering, when we unite ours with His on the cross, and how Mary’s own loss can be a source of consolation for our mourning. A Litany to Mary under names from different Marian titles from different countries around the world broadens the circle, reminding us that intercession and community stretch across cultures and time. We close with gratitude for women balancing home and work, encouragement for those who did not receive the miracle they longed for, and a blessing that sends us back into daily life carrying light.

If this reflection gave you a measure of peace, follow the show, share it with someone who needs gentle hope, and leave a review to help others find it. Your stories matter—tell us where you’ve found consolation on your own journey.

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening Verse And Invocation
• 0:22 Prayer For Mothers And Loss
• 1:05 Journey To Lourdes Begins
• 1:42 At The Baths And Reported Miracles
• 2:29 Consolation And A Gift Of Hope
• 3:08 Litany Of Marian Titles
• 3:31 Thanksgiving And Encouragement
• 4:30 Hail Mary And Closing Blessing

Transcript

Sheila Nonato: 0:00

Day 7. "Faith, hope, and love. And now these three remain. Faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians , Chapter V13, verse 13.

Sheila Nonato: 0:17

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sheila Nonato: 0:22

Opening prayer: O most Triune God, we thank you for the graces we have received during this retreat for Mother's Day. We thank you for the gift of our husbands and children. For us mothers who have lost children or babies through miscarriage, stillbirth or ectopic pregnancies, or women who have undergone the cross of infertility, may we find comfort in our faith in the Lord and in his goodness.

Sheila Nonato: 0:52

We thank God for the gift of our faith and for the gift of our vocation as wives and mothers, Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sheila Nonato: 1:05

Reflection: In November 2019, my family traveled to Lourdes for our own pilgrimage. My husband was deployed overseas for six months and had been granted time off for a short military leave in the middle of his deployment. We chose to meet in Barcelona, Spain, and were humbled to have been able to visit the iconic Sagrada Familia Basilica, created by Antonio Gaudi, known as God's architect. From there we rented a car, and my husband drove our family of four to Lourdes. Through icy and winding roads, through the Pyrenees Mountains, we reached the famed pilgrimage site at midnight, with the help and guidance of Our Lady.

Sheila Nonato: 1:53

That week we visited the famous baths near the grotto where Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette. Countless pilgrims have immersed themselves in the water, with at least 7,000 having reported being healed after their pilgrimage to Lourdes. Only 72 have been verified so far as miracles by the Catholic Church.

Sheila Nonato: 2:29

As tears flowed when I walked across the pool into the frigid waters, I felt a wave of consolation come over me afterwards. Little did I know that our lady had a special gift for us. Nine months later, our youngest son was born. It was a sign of hope that even in our unspeakable grief, God can give us comfort, for he knew what it was like to suffer, and so did Our Lady, who experienced the loss of a child in the most excruciating way.

Sheila Nonato: 3:08

Litany: Good Saint Anne, please pray for us. Our Lady of La Vang, please pray for us. Our Lady of Pena francia, please pray for us. Our Lady of the Cape, please pray for us. Our Lady of Czestochowa, please pray for us. Our Lady of Kibeho, please pray for us. Our Lady of Lourdes, please pray for us.

Sheila Nonato: 3:31

Closing prayer: We give thanks for these healings, both physical, emotional, and spiritual in nature. For the pilgrims who have not encountered a miracle on their pilgrimage to this beloved Marin Shrine, may all not lose hope, and may we continue to seek and to share the light of Christ in our homes and in our communities. We thank you for all the women who have joined us on this retreat and for the gift of their time, strength, devotion, and faithfulness. We pray for all their intentions, for their families, and for their continued heroism in their motherhood, both at home and at work. Through Jesus and our blessed Mother, we pray.

Sheila Nonato: 4:30

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sheila Nonato: 4:51

Thank you very much for joining us. God bless, and hope to see you again.