The Miraculous Medal

November 11, 2019 2,002 Views

Summary

Dr. Mary Kay Clark shares why no medal can be as powerful as The Miraculous Medal, given by the Mother of God to St. Catherine Laboure almost 200 years ago.

“An oval frame seemed to form, and in its upper portion, the following words were inscribed in semicircular form about the upper part of Our Lady’s body: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

“Once again, the Voice made itself heard within my heart: Have a medal made after this pattern. Those who wear it, blessed, about their necks, and who confidently say this prayer, will receive great graces and will enjoy the special protection of the Mother of God.”

God Wishes to Entrust to You a Mission…

“The frame reversed itself to show the other side of the medal. A large M, surmounted by a cross having a double bar under it. Beneath this M, the holy hearts of Jesus and Mary were placed side by side, the first being crowned with thorns, the other pierced by a sword. And around about were twelve stars.”

With these words, Catherine Laboure, a young French nun, describes her encounter in 1856 with Our Lady.

As the Blessed Mother appeared sitting in a chair next to the convent altar, St. Catherine was told that Jesus wants the world to know that His Blessed Mother is directly involved with Him in helping people who need to believe that Jesus cares about them and their problems, especially for those who are sick.

“The Blessed Mother spoke to me of the manner in which I ought to behave,” Catherine reported. “… She told me how to act in times of distress. Pointing with her left hand to the altar steps, she told me to come there to refresh my heart, and she said that it was there that I would find all needed solace.”

Come to the Foot of This Altar; Grace Awaits All

“My child,” the Blessed Mother continued, “God wishes to entrust to you a mission. … do not fear, grace will be given to help you. …once more, have confidence and do not fear. In your prayers, inspiration will be given to you. The times are very evil. Great misfortune will come to France: her throne will be overthrown. The whole world will be upset by the evils of every kind.”

“But come to the foot of this altar; grace awaits all, whether they be great or little who ask for it fervently and with confidence…guard against bad reading matter, against loss of time, and against useless visiting.”

While these words were given by the Blessed Mother to a nun in Italy long ago, these words of the Blessed Mother surely were meant for all of us. We need to protect ourselves and our children against potentially sinful reading matter, against the loss or waste of time, and against “useless visiting.” Today, useless visiting could include “visiting” with modern technology.

Do Not Forget About the Miraculous Medal.

Along with our daily Rosary prayers and meditations on the lives of Jesus and Mary, and doing our best to attend daily Mass with our children, we should give serious consideration to wearing the Miraculous Medal.

The Miraculous Medal… Do we hear much about the Miraculous Medal anymore? Does anyone remember seeing one lately?

How many of us have forgotten or perhaps never learned about the Miraculous Medal? While all the medals from saints are lovely, none can be as powerful as The Miraculous Medal, given by the Mother of God to St. Catherine Laboure, the young French nun in a little unknown convent, almost 200 years ago.

Miraculous Medal | Xhienne – Own work, CC BY-SA | Wikemedia.org