Blessed are you, O Virgin, who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. The Church honors today the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Lourdes. It was on this day (date) in 1858 that the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a fourteen-year-old Marie Bernarde Sourbirous, who later became St. Bernadette, took place. It was in this apparition that Our Lady proclaimed herself “The Immaculate Conception.” The Blessed Virgin Mary made a total of eighteen appearances to St. Bernadette, the last of which was on July 16, 1858. The message of Lourdes is a call to personal conversion, prayer and charity. Our Lady of Lourdes is the patroness of Portugal and the Philippines.
The one characteristic common to Our Lady’s apparitions is her identification with the human race. Whenever an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary takes place, there is always a message for her sons and daughters. As the second Eve, mother Mary is always looking out for her sons and daughter, encouraging them to remain faithful to her Son and to avoid sin which separates them from the love of God.  
In the apparitions, Our Lady continues with her selfless role of being an intercessor for others before her Son. It is a role that Mary played from the very moment she said YES to the Lord. It was the Blessed Mary’s selflessness that prompted her accept the responsibility of being a vehicle of God’s grace to the world even if at that moment she didn’t fully understand what it entailed. And it was her willingness to interceded for others that say her play an important role in the miracle at Cana as today’s Gospel reading has reminded us. 
Mary had somehow come to know that the wine that had been made available for the party was soon running out. And being the selfless and caring mother that she is, she became concerned and felt she had to do something. She could not bear the thought of the embarrassment that their gracious hosts were going to suffer if they were to inform the guests that they had ran out of wine. Having gradually come to understand the identity of her son, Mary was aware that Jesus was able to do something to save the situation. And so she approached Jesus and placed a request on behalf the bride and the groom. 
May today’s celebration remind us of the great ally and intercessor we have in the Blessed Virgin Mary. May we never tire of running to her with our challenges and problems because as our dear Mother, she will never look away. May we be encouraged at the thought of Our Lady’s willingness to stand by our side even as she presents our requests to her Son.