Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, The Miraculous Medal [Ecumenical]
Fisheaters.com ^ | not available | Fisheaters

Posted on 07/07/2008 2:50:51 PM PDT by Salvation

The Miraculous Medal


 

 
On the night of 18 July, 1830, a "child" awakened Sr. Catherine Labouré  (seen above) in her Daughters of Charity convent at 140 Rue du Bac, Paris, telling her to go to the convent's chapel where Mary awaited her. There Mary told her:
God wishes to charge you with a mission. You will be contradicted, but do not fear; you will have the grace. Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you. Times are evil in France and in the world. Come to the foot of the altar. Graces will be shed on all, great and little, especially upon those who seek them. Another community of sisters will join the Rue du Bac community. The community will become large; you will have the protection of God and Saint Vincent; I will always have my eyes upon you.

Later that year, on 27 November, Catherine saw another vision of Mary. She describes her like this:

Her height was medium and her countenance, indescribably beautiful. She was dressed in a robe the color of the dawn, high-necked, with plain sleeves. Her head was covered with a white veil, which floated over Her shoulders down to her feet. Her feet rested upon a globe, or rather one half of a globe, for that was all that could be seen. Her hands which were on a level with her waist, held in an easy manner another globe, a figure of the world. Her eyes were raised to Heaven, and her countenance beamed with light as She offered the globe to Our Lord.

Mary told her that the globe represented the whole world, especially France, a country whose faithful had recently suffered horrible persecutions in the Revolution's Terrors and was still going through "Enlightenment" perfidy.

The vision changed to Mary, still standing on a globe, rays of light streaming from her fingers, enframed in an oval frame inscribed with the words, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." The whole vision "turned" showing the back of the oval inscribed with the letter "M" entwined with a Cross, and the hearts of Jesus and Mary, the former surrounded with thorns, the latter pierced with a sword. 12 stars circled this oval frame, symbolizing the 12 Tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles, and showing Mary as the Mother of Israel, per the Apocalypse (ch. 12). Mary told her to strike a medal in this form, and that all who wore it after having it blessed would receive graces.

 

Front of the Miraculous MedalBack of the Miraculous Medal


Sr. Catherine's spiritual director told Catherine's story to the Bishop of Paris, who not only allowed the medal to be struck, but received some of them himself.  One of these he had with him when ministering to Napoleon's dying, heretical chaplain. The dying man had obstinately refused to reconcile with the Church, but as the Bishop was leaving after trying one last time to get him to see the error of his ways, the man suddenly broke down and repented. The Bishop attributed this to the Virgin's intercessions through the medal.

Another miraculous conversion involved that of a wealthy Jewish banker-lawyer named Alphonse Ratisbonne. He was actually dared to wear one of the medals and to pray the Memorare. This he did, and as he visited a church to arrange a funeral for a friend, he had a vision of Our Lady as she appears on the Medal. He instantly converted, and became a priest.

The Medal of the Immaculate Conception, now known as the Miraculous Medal, has become one of the most commonly worn sacramentals in the Roman Church.

St. Catherine Labouré's body remains incorrupt to this day and can be seen at her convent at Rue du Bac.

Note: St. Maximillian Kolbe (+ 1941) adopted the miraculous medal as the badge of the "Pious Union of the Militia of the Immaculate Conception" in 1917, which he founded in Rome while still a young religious of the Conventual Friars Minor



TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholiclist; sacramentals
Continuing on the Sacred Things series.

For education and discussion.

1 posted on 07/07/2008 2:50:52 PM PDT by Salvation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Salvation
Being Catholic: Sacred Things, The Miraculous Medal [Ecumenical]

America Needs Fatima Campaign does outreach by distributing St. Benedict medals (Catholic Caucus)

Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Catholic Caucus)

Graces Will Be Abundant (175th Anniversary of Miraculous Medal)

America Needs Fatima Launches "Miracles for America" Campaign: A Miraculous Medal Outreach

Miracles For America: A Miraculous Medal Outreach

How the Miraculous Medal Changed My Life

2 posted on 07/07/2008 2:52:12 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All
Guidelines for Ecumenical threads
3 posted on 07/07/2008 2:53:25 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: All
Being Catholic: Sacred Things, The Miraculous Medal [Ecumenical]

'Holy Things To The Holy': Sacred Things, Places, and Times [Ecumenical]

Why We Need Sacred Art

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, [Holy] Water

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, [New] Fire, Paschal Candle

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Holy Oils

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Crucifixes and Crosses

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Sacred Images: Statues and Other Icons

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Incense

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Palm Branches

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Ashes

Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Relics and the Incorruptibles

Purification of Sacred Vessels in U.S. (and more on the Purification of our Lord)

5 posted on 07/07/2008 2:56:23 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

Thanks for posting.


6 posted on 07/07/2008 3:07:52 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (please consider the environment when purchasing the New York Times)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: the invisib1e hand

My pleasure. Another person had a thread about this subject and replies showed that no knowledge about it was there. So...........


7 posted on 07/07/2008 3:21:13 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway; sandyeggo; Lady In Blue; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; Catholicguy; RobbyS; ...
Catholic Discussion Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Catholic Discussion Ping List.

8 posted on 07/07/2008 3:23:16 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

Thank you. My husband gave me a Miraculous Medal as a gift this weekend. I knew something about its history, but am glad to learn more.

(Remember, we are converts and a lot of things we are learning on the fly.)

Thanks for posting this!


9 posted on 07/07/2008 4:54:21 PM PDT by Miss Marple
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
Guidelines for Ecumenical threads

"If you can't say anything nice..."

shrug.

10 posted on 07/07/2008 5:42:08 PM PDT by Lee N. Field (You wouldn't want a postmodern to fix your car. Why would you trust him with your theology?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Miss Marple; Frank Sheed

I recommend the book “Forget Not Love,” about St. Maximilian Kolbe. Ignatius Press sells it; the author is ... somebody French :-), the book’s not on the shelves in this room.

I wear the Miraculous Medal and Sacred Heart medal on a safety pin in my clothing, as my life does not permit wearing necklaces very often. I did put my silver medal on a chain on for Mass today, because we left the baby at home with a sister.


11 posted on 07/07/2008 7:00:21 PM PDT by Tax-chick (Tax-chick's House of Herpets. You shed your skin, too!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
I belong to The Legion of Mary and we hand out Miraculous Medals all the time.

We refer to them as Mary's silver bullet :) They open hearts.

12 posted on 07/08/2008 7:46:22 AM PDT by MudPuppy (St Michael Protect Us!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: MudPuppy

**They open hearts.**

Amen!


13 posted on 07/08/2008 7:58:02 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: MudPuppy

I know of at least one lady who converted because a friend gave her a Miraculous Medal and asked her to wear it, which she did.


14 posted on 07/08/2008 8:00:30 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson