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Thank you.

You're awesome.

Okay. And then go.

God doesn't need your strength.

He wants your surrender.

Do you believe in miracles?

Miracles are—

Real.

Merciful.

Timely.

Beautiful. You are a miracle.

Conversion of the heart. This has always been Mary's message. There have been over 3,000 reported apparitions of Mary throughout history. Less than 30 have received various forms of church approval, but Mary's message has been remarkably similar from one century to the next and from one continent to the next. Conversion of the heart is an inner turning toward God and away from self-reliance, sin, distraction, and selfishness. It involves changing our behavior, but it is also about changing direction. The scriptures teach us that conversion means reorienting the whole person, heart, mind, body, will, desires, and habits toward God. A converted heart begins to see differently, want different things. With every microconversion of the heart, pride gives way to humility. Fear yields to trust. We release control and learn to surrender. This kind of conversion is gradual. It isn't dramatic. The ordinary events of our everyday lives are where this conversion takes place. It unfolds through prayer, repentance, silence, obedience, and service to others.

Bernadette Soubirous was 14 years old when Our Lady appeared to her in the grotto at Lourdes. The year was 1858 and Mary appeared to her 18 times. The apparitions brought Bernadette great peace, but after the apparitions, she was constantly questioned by church officials, civil authorities, doctors, and of course skeptics. Crowds followed her wherever she went. Her family remained extremely poor, and she continued to suffer from asthma, tuberculosis, and chronic weakness. Nonetheless, her testimony remained simple, consistent, unembellished, and restrained. The grotto where Mary visited Bernadette is a natural rock formation and served no religious purpose before the apparitions. But it quickly became one of the most visited places in France. Today, more than three million people visit Lourdes each year. At the age of 22, Bernadette entered the Sisters of Charity Convent in Nevers, France, to live a life of prayer and reflection. She never appeared in public ever again.

Over the past 150 years, Lourdes has become known as a place of miracles, wonders, and grace. More than 7,000 people have been miraculously healed in the spring water there. The first miraculous healing at Lourdes occurred on the 1st of March, 1858, between the 11th and the 12th apparition. After meeting Bernadette, a woman named Catherine, who suffered from paralysis in two fingers, bathed her hand in the spring water at the grotto. Immediately, her hand regained full movement. This cure was later recognized as the first official miracle of Lourdes. Word quickly. The sick came. The deaf and the blind came. The paralyzed came. They bathed in the waters. They washed their wounds. They prayed. And they went home changed. Some were healed physically. All were transformed spiritually.

Today, three million pilgrims visit Lourdes each year, making it one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world. How do you need to be healed? What is your need for healing at this moment in your life? When people speak of miraculous healings, it's natural for our minds to turn toward physical healings. But the 7,000 physical healings attributed to Lourdes are only a fraction of the life-changing transformations that have taken place there. Men and women of all ages have had their faith renewed. Marriages have been healed, addictions overcome, and many have released doubts, anger, and resentment toward the church. Pilgrims describe leaving Lourdes spiritually transformed. They speak of peace where there had been anxiety, forgiveness, where there had been bitterness, meaning where there had been despair. Here at Dynamic Catholic, we're honored to host pilgrimages to Lourdes each year. And I hope someday you have a chance to join us. But we don't need to fly across the world to receive healing from God. Often, all we have to do is ask.

Trust, surrender, believe, receive. Your greatest ability is your availability. Let God surprise you.

So what is today's lesson? Conversion of the heart is the consistent invitation of all authentic spiritual experiences. Each of these miracles and wonders encourages us to adopt a daily conversion of the heart. Conversion of the heart is an inner turning toward God and away from self-reliance, sin, distraction, and selfishness. It involves changing our behaviour, yes, but it also involves changing direction. And today's virtue, hope. Hope is not simply optimism. It is confidence in the providence of God. Hope is a gift from God that leads us back to Him. Repeat this simple prayer over and over throughout the day. Lord, increase my hope. I want to invite you to consider joining us in Fatima, Lourdes, and Avila this summer for a fantastic pilgrimage. Click the button below to learn more. Have a great day. And remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

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

God of miracles, wonders, and grace. I thank you for all the good you have done in my life.

For the miracles I recognize—

And the many graces I so often overlook.

I open my heart completely to you today, inviting you to completely inhabit my soul.

So that through me—

Others may encounter your love—

Your mercy—

Your compassion, your kindness—

And your staggering generosity. Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Don't let the world steal your wonder. See you tomorrow. See you tomorrow. Have a great day.

Have a great day.