Bernadette’s whole earthly life falls within two Signs of the Cross: that of her baptism, and that which she made at the hour of her death, in an admirable manner, according to the Annals of the Congregation.

On 11th February 1858 the Sign of the Cross is at the centre of the Apparition. Bernadette is troubled; she hears the wind but the branches of the trees are not moving; she sees a light in the cleft of the rock. Bernadette rubs her eyes to ensure that it is not an illusion - Because even if Bernadette never wished to deceive the others, she herself did not wish to be deceived. Bernadette may well have rubbed her eyes but the light remains. It is time to have recourse to a more reliable method: the Rosary with the little cross at the extremity.

I put my hand in my pocket; I found my Rosary there. I wished to make the Sign of the Cross; I could not lift my hand to my forehead – it fell back on me. The vision made the Sign of the Cross. My hand then began to tremble; I tried to do it again and I could. Bernadette adds in another account: as soon as I was able to make the Sign of the Cross the great fright left me. I knelt down and said the Rosary.

From this moment on Bernadette will no longer be afraid of the Apparition. Indeed she will be afraid of nothing. The Sign of the Cross was the key to all that followed. The Cross announces the call to penance that Bernadette will echo, but which she will begin by experiencing herself first in sickness. But the Cross also announces, and enables us to understand, the Immaculate Conception: the innocence of Mary and our deliverance from sin are the fruits of the Cross. Whilst the Lady does not move her lips for the Hail Mary, she marks herself with the Sign of the Cross, because she had been saved by the Cross, in a different but more radical manner, than us.

A gesture which goes to the heart of things

In the message of Lourdes the cross announces the call to penance that Bernadette will echo, but which she will begin by experiencing herself. When pilgrims receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Sign of the Cross represents a new start in life.

Mary is often regarded as Bernadette’s catechist; she who succeeded where the wet nurse in Bartrès had totally failed; she who will prepare her for her First Communion. Let us note that, as her catechist, she starts with a gesture which goes to the very heart of things. I believe that it is the Blessed Virgin who taught Bernadette her theology in the Sign of the Cross which she made her perform perfectly, and which will be the object of admiration for all those will see it performed by the Servant of God throughout her life.

On 14th September 2008, in his homily in Lourdes for the solemnity of the Exaltation of the Cross, Pope Benedict XVI declared: It is significant that, during the first Apparition to Bernadette, it is by the Sign of the Cross that Mary begins her encounter. More than a mere sign, it is an initiation to the mysteries of the faith that Bernadette receives from Mary. The Sign of the Cross is, in a way, the synthesis of our faith, as it tells us how much God loved us; It tells us that, in this world, there is a love stronger than death, stranger than the weaknesses of our sins.

Henceforth Bernadette will be the centre of admiration for the manner in which she made the Sign of the Cross. She did not like to be forced to perform the gesture as the Lady had shown her however. She considered that it was a lack of respect for the Virgin to try to imitate her. Father Sempé reports a conversation with Maître Dufo, the leading barrister in Lourdes: And do you believe in it yourself, Maître Dufo? –Certainly. Why? – If you had seen, as I did, the way in which Bernadette makes the Sign of the Cross, you would certainly believe yourself. It is only in Heaven that one could make a Sign of the Cross like that.

She preached by example

The first meeting between Mary and Bernadette is marked by the Sign of the Cross. The cross announces, and enables us to understand, the Immaculate Conception: The innocence of Mary and our deliverance from sin are the fruits of the Cross.

When she arrived in Nevers her fellow postulants wanted to imitate her. The way in which she made the Sign of the Cross moved me deeply; I tried to imitate her several times, but in vain. We used to say: You can well see that the Blessed Virgin herself taught her. One Sister seemed to have more success: I so loved to see her praying…how many times did I surprise myself by making the Sign of the Cross with her, I found it done so beautiful.

Certain witnesses fill us in on the originality of her Sign of the Cross. First of all – she was not mean. I had often remarked, as she made the Sign of the Cross, that, in her attitude, in the fullness of her gesture, there was something superhuman that I could never quite understand, but that I tried to imitate, without success of course! I never had the Blessed Virgin as a teacher! Another remarked that she was not afraid to bring her hand to each shoulder. We see here that the slapdash Sign of the Cross has always been with us, even among Religious Sisters.

The Mistress of Novices, Mother Vauzous, was impressed by Bernadette’s Signs of the Cross. She was never over-generous in her praise, especially as regards Bernadette. She however recommended her novices to take Bernadette as a model: Make the Sign of the Cross as you see Sister Marie-Bernard doing it.

On 11th February, before the Lady showed her, she probably Made the Sign of the Cross mechanically. However, now that the Virgin had revealed its beauty, she had difficulty in tolerating it badly done. She had simple words to let her companions know: I noticed how she made the Sign of the Cross. It was large and made slowly and reverently. She remarked that I had made it too quickly and she reproached me gently, pointing out what was not right: it seems to me that you are anxious to finish the exercise. The same Sister, who was close to Bernadette, records another incident: She could not stand us doing it negligently. One day, having made the Sign of the Cross imperfectly myself, the venerable asked me if my arm was hurting or if I was in a hurry.

These little remarks to her fellow Sisters showed that, though she hid herself, she was not enclosed in a bubble. She preached by example and by word when necessary: You must be careful, she said, because making the Sign of the Cross does a lot of good.

(Extract from the book “Bernadette, pourquoi je l’aime” (“Bernadette, why I like her”), by Mgr Perrier, NDL Editions, 412 pages, 17 €, on sale in the Librairie de la Grotte (in French only))
1, avenue Mgr Théas – 65108 Lourdes Cedex
Tel (+33)(0)5.62.42.79.61 Fax : (+33)(0)5.62.42.79.54
E-mail : librairie@lourdes-france.com (www.lourdes-edition.com )