St. Bernadette and the Marian Vow

The presence of Our Lady living in the soul of the one consecrated to the Immaculate, is the essence of the Marian Vow. Even though the consecration takes place on a certain day, we need to make it more than a single act of devotion. The consecration needs to be lived daily. Father Stefano Manelli writes ‘A day without calling upon the Marian Vow, the presence of Our lady in your soul is a day wasted – without merit.’

So, how does one keep the presence of Our Lady uppermost in mind? Perhaps, the example of St. Bernadette can teach us the way.

St. Bernadette, a simple, sickly, country child, saw a beautiful Lady in the cave at Massabielle. The Lady was so beautiful and filled Bernadette’s soul with such tender joy, that the Saint longed to be with the Lady and to see Her often. Bernadette gladly agreed to the Lady’s request to visit with Her for a fortnight, despite the Lady’s words “I do not promise you happiness in this life.”

At the conclusion of the apparitions, Bernadette returned to her duties at home, sometimes at school. The Saint went about her chores with the Vision in her mind. The Vision defined her. St. Bernadette was simple, she learned about holiness from trying to please the Lady, not from books. The beauty of the Lady, Her laugh, Her anxiety or the pain revealed on Her face taught St. Bernadette. For example, Bernadette would consider actions which made the Lady radiant with joy – when Bernadette would gladly suffer a penance. When Bernadette would avoid penance it caused the Lady distress. In these prayerful reflections St. Bernadette learned profound holiness. She could never forget the Vision of the beautiful Lady, nor did she want to forget it.

The goal of one consecrated to the Immaculate is to keep the vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in mind; to remember She is the Immaculate Conception and to give all our actions to Her. We are to do 'penance, penance, penance'. We should try to please Her and never forget the bountiful grace found in Her soul which She shares with us in the Marian Vow.